Scholarship donors and recipients come together for annual Star Night

Scholarship donors and recipients come together for annual Star Night

MOSES LAKE — The Big Bend Community College Foundation continued its long-standing tradition of bringing together scholarship donors and student recipients at Star Night last week.

For the Foundation, Star Night is a celebration of both donor generosity and student excellence.

The event is also centered around giving donors and their recipients an opportunity to meet each other and make meaningful connections. Attendees spend the evening in conversation—exchanging stories and talking about future educational plans.

This year the Foundation awarded nearly $500,000 in scholarships to students. Funds come from various donors and from supporters of the Foundation’s annual Cellarbration! for Education scholarship fundraiser.

Executive Director of the BBCC Foundation LeAnne Parton said scholarships have significant impacts on the lives of students.

“We have students who wouldn’t be able to stay in school, they wouldn’t be able to do it without your generosity,” she said.

Student speaker Ryder Wolfe shared how scholarships are helping him achieve his goal of a career in the aviation industry.

Wolfe said he always had an interest in flying, and Big Bend’s aviation program caught his eye after high school. However, he wasn’t sure how he was going to pay for school and all the extra fees required for the program.

“Flying is expensive,” he said. “I discovered scholarships which really benefited me, and they were vital to my success.”

Wolfe said scholarships specifically help him pay for flight hours for example. And in fact he had just completed a flight to Pasco earlier that day, he added.

“But that is just my story, so many other students are being impacted by your generosity,” said Wolfe. “Whether its sports, flying, or science, you have given them an opportunity to work hard for their success and to turn their dreams to reality.”

 Attendees also heard from scholarship donor Butch Milbrandt, who spoke directly to fellow donors.

“It’s important to be part of giving,” he said. “Think about the students we support. If they are properly trained through any program at Big Bend you know they’ll be prepared to go anywhere they want to go.”

View more photos from Star Night on the Big Bend Community College Foundation Facebook page.