Kortney Breland knows the value of a dollar. A sophomore majoring in nursing at the Perkinston Campus of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, she lives near the Stone County/Pearl River County line. Thanks to a scholarship from the Gulf Coast Alumni/Foundation, the commute to Perkinston, among other things, is more affordable for her family.
Breland’s scholarship was one of 58 that Stone County students received last year, thanks to the annual fish fry hosted by the Stone County Chapter of the Gulf Coast Alumni Association. (More than $16,000 in scholarships was awarded in 2008-09.) The menu for this year’s event, set for March 27 from 4:30-6 p.m. in Wiggins’ Blaylock Park, has changed to delicious barbecue, but the goal remains the same: to help students go to college.
You can dine at the park or carry your meal back home. For just $7, you’ll get barbecue chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, dessert, bread and a drink. For many, however, the taste of a great meal has nothing on the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped someone attend college.
“Having a scholarship from Gulf Coast has helped me pay for books and housing, too. Being able to stay in the dorms helps me study, saves travel time and the cost of gas,” says Breland, the daughter of Billy and Shauna Breland. She plans to attend The University of South Alabama in Mobile next year.
“Many of our students depend on some kind of financial assistance to attend Gulf Coast,” says Brenda Donahoe, alumni officer at Gulf Coast. “That assistance is even more vital in today’s uncertain economic times. That’s why events like this are so important – it gives students options, something to depend on when they need help reaching their goals.”
For more information about the March 27 barbecue, contact Elaine Brockmeyer at (601) 928-6200, or e-mail elaine.brockmeyer@mgccc.edu.
