Above: Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association (PRVEPA) donated $31,000 for student scholarships to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College on Thursday, Oct. 9 at the college’s Perkinston Campus. From left, are Randy Wallace, general manager of PRVEPA; Dr. Mary S. Graham, MGCCC president; Caroline Ramagos, vice president of Advancement and Institutional Relations at MGCCC; and Kurt Brautigam, manager of Member Services for PRVEPA.

Thirty-one students from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will each receive $1,000 Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association (PRVEPA) scholarships through the EPA’s Round Up for Education program. PRVEPA leaders presented the check for $31,000 to MGCCC President Dr. Mary S. Graham on Thursday at the college’s Perkinston Campus.

“Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is excited about this opportunity for its students,” said Dr. Mary S. Graham, president of MGCCC. “By providing our students educational support, Pearl River Valley EPA and its members are supporting the future leaders of our communities. Gulf Coast is proud to partner with Pearl River Valley EPA to further fulfill its mission of providing the best possible educational opportunity to residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

PRVEPA serves more than 47,000 meters. Since the Round Up program began in November 2012, more than $390,000 has been collected and deposited in an account overseen by the Greater Pine Belt Community Foundation. Members who round their bills up to the nearest dollar each month make funds for the scholarships available. Scholarships are offered to members who do the round up, as well as their spouses or dependent children who are enrolling for their first semester at a Mississippi community college. This year, more than 170 students in 12 counties will receive scholarships.