Stacey Walker
In Motion Staff Writer
To display its gratitude to scholarship donors and recipients the Daytona State College Foundation hosted its annual Donor Appreciation Luncheon at the Hosseini Center in April.
Opening the luncheon was Dr. Tom LoBasso, President of Daytona State College, who thanked the donors for their much-needed, generous support. Annually, the Foundation disperses a million dollars in scholarships to deserving students.
For those who would like to contribute to the Foundation, there are many ways to do so, including payroll deductions, one-time donations, planned giving and even the “Buy a Brick” program. Call 386-506-3195 or go to: https://donate.daytonastate.edu/donate
At the luncheon, a gourmet buffet consisting of mostly organic and made-from-scratch items was served to attendees. They were treated to a mouth-watering array of baby greens with zinfandel-poached pears, caprese salad with fresh mozzarella and grape tomatoes, stuffed shells marinara, seafood stuffed flounder, chicken roulade and creole vegetable jambalaya. Topping it off was a choice of New York-style cheesecake with chocolate shavings, flan or a strawberry tart.
The lunch was served and prepared by DSC culinary students under the tutelage of award-winning chef and Hospitality Management Dean Costa Magoulas at Café 101.
Introducing two recent scholarship recipients was Bobby Thigpen, longtime civic leader, retired vice president of Ritchey Automotive and immediate past chair of the DSC Foundation Board of Directors. Receiving the Alane LaMee Endowment Scholarship was Marina Sorrill, who maintains a 4.0 average and is on the President’s List while taking five classes. She is a mother of a 2-year old and could not complete her courses without the scholarship, she said.
One of hundreds of scholarships available to students every year, the Alane Thomson LaMee Endowment Scholarship offers $800 to new or continuing students who will enroll for at least six semester hours in an associate degree program during the semester. Displaced homemakers are given preference for the funds.
Recipient of the $800 June DruLard Endowment Scholarship, for students with a demonstrated financial need, was Christopher Collier. His dream is to become a teacher, but he had to give up work hours so he could complete his education. With the scholarship he is able to take care of his family and also graduate with a degree in elementary education.
An added bonus at the end of the lunch was a tour by Dean Magoulas of the Hospitality program’s new $1.2 million Beverage Science Center. Culinary faculty thought it was critical to train students in the art of brewing beer since over 50 percent of a restaurant’s income is from the beer/beverage consumption, said Magoulas.
Micro-brewing with commercial equipment is extremely sensitive and students in the program will be learning much about disinfection and keeping a sterile environment, in addition to creating new twists on brewed beer. The program even has a laboratory with microscopes to test for bacteria.
A culinary instructor, traveling from Italy, came to DSC to teach faculty how to use their new commercial brewery system. That program launches in the fall of 2018 and students can begin enrolling this summer or as soon as the license is approved. The boutique beer industry locally has the potential to employ some 25,000 people, according to Magoulas.
As Dr. LoBasso emphasized, 75 percent of Daytona State College students are eligible for scholarships. Without that money, many students would not be able to achieve their educational goals. Mid-April the president launched the annual fund drive for the Foundation, saying:
“During April each year, I have the privilege of kicking off our Employee Giving Campaign. This is our opportunity to help build paths for success for our students – financially through payroll deduction or an annual donation. Since 1974, the DSC Foundation has been raising funds to provide student scholarships and much of it has come from small donations from many people.
“I was reminded this week at the Foundation’s Annual Donor Luncheon that Mrs. Jeanne Goddard, mother of Foundation Board Member Maggie Thompson, began raising funds going door-to-door asking for ‘Dollars for Scholars’ in the early days of the Foundation. Mrs. Goddard knew even then that every dollar counts and we continue her tradition.”
Every year, scholarships go unclaimed. Applications for scholarships are open all year long. Deadlines to apply are set by the Financial Aid Office for each semester. Interested students can log on to their DSC account to apply.
Students only need to apply once per academic year, since the application is valid for each of the three semesters in the academic year. Dual-enrolled or transient students and DSC employees and/or their dependents are not eligible. For more information, e-mail financialaid@daytonastate.edu or call 386-506-3370.
For those who would like to contribute to the Foundation, there are many ways to do so, including payroll deductions, one-time donations, planned giving and even the “Buy a Brick” program. Call 386-506-3195 or go to: https://donate.daytonastate.edu/donate