Lisa Stilson
It was hard to tell who was more excited and more proud at TWOQC’s (The Women of Quail Creek) recent Scholarship Awards Night—the 32 high school and Women in Transition (WIT) Scholarship recipients and their families or the women on the Scholarship Committee who selected them. Regardless, it was an inspiring night! A wonderful PowerPoint presentation, courtesy of Jim Burkstrand, highlighted the history of TWOQC Scholarships and displayed photos of each woman as she came forward to the podium with her mentor. The recipients were handed a single rose and a handcrafted glass heart (donated by a member of the Glass Studio), along with a scholarship certificate. Following the ceremony, everyone enjoyed cookies, iced tea, and lemonade.
Consider this: Nine years ago, just two senior high school women received scholarships of $1,000 each.
Fast forward to this year: TWOQC is now a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with a large Scholarship Committee of dedicated, retired, professional women committed to helping deserving women in Pima and Santa Cruz Counties achieve their educational goals. This year a total of $104,000 (up to $3,500 per recipient) was awarded to 32 high school seniors and Women in Transition. And as of this year, a total of 100 scholarships have been awarded, for a grand total amount of $246,700!
Quail Creek residents, and the greater community as a whole, should be very proud of their continued support of the Scholarship program, enabling TWOQC to make each year better than the last. Funds for scholarships come from a variety of sources: individual donors, matching fund campaigns and memorial or named scholarships, as well as the ever-popular Javelina Hoedown, TWOQC’s major annual fundraiser. And each year, Green Valley, Sahuarita, Tubac, and even Tucson merchants continue to generously donate gift cards and silent auction items for the Hoedown’s success.
If you were unable to attend the Awards Ceremony or the Javelina Hoedown this year, you missed an amazing event, and the numerous accolades said it all: “The Award Presentation was exceptional! The Scholarship Committee offered these young women a jump-start on achieving their dreams. Congratulations on a year-long effort!”
And the committee is already planning for next year. The Javelina Hoedown is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024, and the Scholarship Awards Ceremony will be in May of 2025. Both uplifting events are not to be missed! For more information about the TWOQC Scholarship program, please contact Deb Melton, TWOQC scholarship chair, at [email protected].