Valier student beneficiary of Rend Lake College Foundation Endowment Scholarships increased.

By ReAnne Palmer

INA, IL– It was a night of celebration and merriment at the 2017 Rend Lake College Foundation Annual Dinner with numerous surprise awards and announcements, starting with the 2017 Alumnus of the Year. The Annual Dinner was held Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Mt. Vernon Hotel & Events Center.

“I am very pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has decided to make a one-time distribution of an additional one percent on all endowed scholarships in the upcoming academic year,” said Kay Zibby-Damron, Rend Lake College Foundation Director.  “All of our endowed scholarships will award six percent of the principle to very deserving RLC students. As the cost of education rises, coupled with the uncertainty of financial assistance from the state, I am grateful that the Foundation is able to help so many students.”

Ramsey shared his journey to Rend Lake College with members of the RLC community at the RLC Foundation Annual Dinner on Thursday, Dec. 7.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

One of those students, Heath Ramsey of Valier, shared his appreciation for the Foundation and the donors in the room. Ramsey is a nontraditional student who returned to the classroom for a new career with a family and small children in tow. The nursing student said he’s looking forward to helping people in new ways, thanks in part to the help he’s received.

“I’d like to welcome you and thank you for being with us this evening. I’m 38 years old and was in corporate sales for many years before I decided to go back to college,” said Ramsey. “I figured I’d been helping people for the past few years, and now, I’ve decided to help people in a different way. I decided I needed to get back into college, even as a nontraditional student. When I received a letter in the mail from the RLC Foundation saying I’d been awarded the Howard L. Payne Nursing Scholarship, I knew I’d made the right decision.”

The RLC Foundation Annual Dinner was sponsored by Hamilton County Telephone Co-Cop and subsidiaries, and People’s National Bank – both of which have been sponsors of the event for over a decade. The invocation was provided by Eric Black, RLC Board of Trustees Secretary, and live music was provided by Hannah Fullerton on piano.

To learn more about the RLC Foundation, contact Zibby-Damron at 618-437-5321, Ext. 1214 or foundation@rlc.edu.