News Items - Greater Marion Area Chamber of Commerce
Marion Chamber awards two scholarships
The Marion Chamber of Commerce will award two scholarships this year: a Grad Spree Scholarship and a John A. Logan College Two Year Tuition Waiver.

The Marion Chamber of Commerce will award two scholarships this year: a Grad Spree Scholarship and a John A. Logan College Two Year Tuition Waiver.
 
The Marion Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Committee increased the Grad Spree Scholarship amount to $1,500 for the 2017 scholarship winner from $1,000 in the previous year.
 
The Committee and John A. Logan College Foundation increased the one year tuition waiver to two years, starting in 2017.
 
“I am very fortunate to work for John A. Logan College and be a member of the Marion Chamber of Commerce,” said Lisa Hudgens, chair of the Marion Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Committee and Director of Career Services at John A. Logan College. “Through the commitment of these two organizations, one Marion High School student will be selected to attend JALC tuition free for two years. This is a great opportunity for a student to further his/her education.”
 
Other Scholarship Committee members include: Ashley Gott with Bank of Herrin; Bill Swinford with Daily Republican News; Bill Nielsen with Flanders Electric; Rick Richert with Flanders Electric; Zach McGinn with Interim HealthCare of Southern Illinois; Megan Jones with Priority Professional Group; Kenya Garner with State Farm Insurance; Toni Perkins with U.S. Bank; and Doug Kimmel with the Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois.
 
The requirements for the scholarships are:
  1. The scholarships are to be awarded to an applicant who plans to continue their education in the field of business or commerce.
  2. Applicant must have a minimum GPA of 2.0.
  3. Each applicant is required to complete an Application Form and attach to the Application Form a brief statement pertaining to their longterm goals and the specific field of study in business or commerce they plan to pursue.
  4. For the John A. Logan Tuition Waiver, the student must maintain a 2.0 grade point average while enrolled in college and must be enrolled and maintain a minimum of 12 credit hours for each semester.
  5. For the Grad Spree Scholarship, the scholarship winner will make their own choice of college and must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credit hours for the fall semester in order to receive the disbursement.
 


The winner of the 2017 Grad Spree scholarship in the amount of $1,500 is Parker Nave. Parker and his brother have a mowing business and Parker gives music lessons as well. Parker plans to become an entrepreneur.
 
“Having my own business would give me the flexibility to work wherever I want. This would allow me to be active in the community and even have an international outreach, which would therefore let me continue to do mission work,” he stated in his application. “I am very passionate about helping those in very poor countries. Since I have participated in multiple mission trips to Haiti, I love getting to serve people.”
 
Parker stated that he would use his business to fund different organizations and charities, and, if possible, create his own charity.
 
“I am also a strong believer that music connects all people and I want to pursue my business degree, but more specifically focus on music business so I can share my passion for music with the world,” he stated.
 


The winner of the 2017 John A. Logan two year tuition waiver is Lezlie Garrison. Lezlie plans to attend John A. Logan and Southern Illinois University and major in accounting. Her goal is to be a CPA.
 
The Marion Area Chamber of Commerce is an organization of business and professional people working together to build a healthy economy and to improve the quality of life in our community.
 
The Chamber works with these objectives in mind:
•          To help business/industry prosper and grow
•          To increase job opportunities
•          To contribute to the overall economic stability of the community
•          To encourage an orderly expansion and development of all segments of the community
•          To improve the quality of life of the community and surrounding area
 
We invite every business/industry and individual to join our organization and help make a difference in the community today for tomorrow and the future.
 

Published: 05/09/17