ATLANTA - The Technical College Foundation Association of Georgia (TCFA) has recognized a Cumming couple as its Volunteers of the Year and the estate of Pauline Ivey as its Benefactor of the Year.
The Volunteers of the Year, Tommy and Chantal Bagwell, are longtime supporters of Lanier Technical College (LTC).
They established the $500,000 Bagwell Family Foundation Scholarship Endowment Fund in 2005 to provide scholarships for students attending technical colleges located near their family businesses. In Georgia, the colleges impacted by this fund are Lanier Tech, Moultrie Technical College, Albany Technical College and Coastal Pines Technical College.
The family business, American Proteins, Inc., currently has three locations, one of which is in Cumming .
Over the past nine years, through the Bagwell Family Foundation, the Lanier Technical College Foundation has been able to help nearly 300 students continue their education through Lanier Tech.
The Bagwells' support of Lanier Tech does not end there, They have also given $50,000 over the years for an Adult Literacy Instructor and also opened their home and boat,The Amistad, for college events.
The couple is also heavily involved with the Georgia Reach Scholarship Program. This program provides Georgia’s academically promising students with academic, social and financial support needed to graduate from high school and college prepared for work.
BENEFACTOR OF THE YEAR
The estate of Pauline Ivey has benefitted Lanier Tech as well as University of North Georgia, Dawson County High School and several churches in the Lanier Tech service area.
In June of 2014, Ivey’s estate made a donation of six properties, valued at $300,000, and a cash donation of $100,000 to the Lanier Technical College Foundation. All proceeds from the sale of the land and the $100,000 cash gift will go towards the Pauline Ivey Scholarship Fund for General Scholarships at Lanier Technical College.
This new scholarship will focus first on residents of Dawson County who wish to attend Lanier Tech, but will also be open to any students in the service area after priority is given to Dawson residents.
Ivey passed away April 3, 2014, at the age of 97, after living most of her life in Dawson County. She moved to Cumming 12 years earlier.
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