Service League Awards $24,000 In Scholarships

The Service League of Cherokee County recently awarded $24,000 in scholarships to 19 seniors who will graduate this week from Cherokee County School District high schools.  

Students receiving the scholarships are: 

• Cherokee High School: Charlotte (Ali) Baker, Jordan Freeman, Ashley Holton, Olivia Nechvatal, Laurel (Kailey) Payne and Logan Witherow.
• Creekview High School: Savannah Bakotic, Hudson Graham, Jordan Grassi, Riley Jenkins, Channing Tuell, Victoria Sheffield and Kayla Wright. 
• River Ridge High School: John Bowling, Emily Huffman and Henry (Luke) Neese. 
• Sequoyah High School: Evan Ezell, James (J.F.) Harris and Devon Higgins.  

The League also made a $1,000 contribution to the district's high school Credit Recovery Class scholarship program. 

These scholarships provide financial assistance to students who otherwise could not afford these classes that will assist them in their path to graduation. Through the scholarship program, which is entirely funded by community donations and operated by the district's Office of School Operations, students can receive a $150 scholarship toward the $200 cost of a credit recovery class. 

In addition, the League awarded an additional $1,000 in scholarship funds at the beginning of the fall 2013 semester to Reinhardt University student Virginia Hutton as part of the university's “A DAY for Reinhardt” program. Hutton is a resident of Cherokee County who also received a matching scholarship froTheom Reinhardt University. 

"As a parent, we want our children to receive the message: You have worth," said Service League’s 2014 Scholarship Committee Chair Sherry Wallace. "The Service League scholarship program is one of many venues we use to support and invest in local teens. Scholarship recipients represent an array of talents and accomplishments, and we want to champion them on to greater achievements. Then, hopefully someday, when given the opportunity, they will be conscientious about offering a helping hand and serving others in need." 

Awarding scholarships each year is just one of the many ways the Service League of Cherokee County works tirelessly to invest in the lives of the children of Cherokee County. 

Celebrating 80 years of service this year, the league is a volunteer group of 100 women who work year-round, collectively volunteering more than 10,000 hours per year to raise funds for local needy children. 

Funds raised during League-sponsored annual events such as the Riverfest Arts and Crafts Festival, the Annual Ball and Dancing for the Children Celebrity Dance Challenge and other fundraising endeavors provide necessities such as food, clothing, dental care, eyeglasses, medical care, scholarships and much more. 

To find out more about the work of the League, visit its website.