EWC Recognizes Donors at Annual Donor Dinner
November 26, 2002
(Torrington, WY November 26, 2002) Eastern Wyoming College recently hosted the annual Donor Appreciation Dinner. This is always a very special evening for Foundation Donors, Scholarship Donors and Student Scholarship Recipients. Dr. Jack Bottenfield, EWC President, provided the welcome for the evening. Mrs. Kathryn Kelly, EWC Foundation President served as the director for the evening and introduced the members of the EWC Board of Trustees and the EWC Foundation Board. The invocation was provided by Dr. Ann Beaulieu, EWC Vice President and Dean of Instruction and the dinner was prepared by the EWC Food Services staff under the direction of Janet Sanders, Director. The speakers for the evening were Leland Vetter, EWC Welding Instructor and Samantha Thrasher, EWC welding student. Melissa Deiderich, Henry, Nebraska, provided special music for the evening.
What a privilege to be able to work at Eastern Wyoming College. I have had fun everyday for 23 years of teaching and training, began Vetter. He then went on to recognize the generous gifts that have been given to the EWC Welding program. There are currently three welding instructors, Russell Pontarolo, Stan Nicolls and Vetter. They are now teaching 56 students from 7 different states and are excited about the future of the welding program at Eastern Wyoming College.
Thrasher (pictured), from Vershire, VT, spoke of how she ended up at Eastern Wyoming College. She always had a strong desire to go west for college. While
visiting a school in Montana, she learned about Eastern Wyoming College and decided to come for a visit. She was very impressed with the college and felt very welcomed by the small town of Torrington.
The EWC Foundation is a non-profit corporation created to promote and extend financial support to Eastern Wyoming College for expansion and development of programs and facilities, and to provide scholarships and grants to EWC students. The EWC Foundation is made up of twelve community volunteers selected by the Foundation Board, two members from the EWC Board of Trustees, and the College President.
During the 2001-2002 school year, the EWC Foundation provided EWC students with scholarships amounting to approximately $60,000. An additional $62,000 in miscellaneous one-time scholarships was also distributed through the Foundation. Private and corporate donations helped make possible the new Large Animal Complex. Recent gifts to the Welding and Joining Technology program are making it possible to help students learn, using modern equipment. Private donations have also helped the college update computer labs and beautify the college campus.
For more information about the Eastern Wyoming College Foundation, please contact Lynnea Bartlett at 307-532-8304.
