The Holiday Band will provide Carolina beach music served up with classic beach cuisine and beverages. Contests, raffles, dance lessons and games will keep the evening lively, organizers say.
All of this is for a good cause. The Support Our Students (S.O.S.) Beach Party has a goal of funding between 50-100 student scholarships of the more than 200 that are “beached.”
“Without an infusion of funding, our talented scholarship students - many of whom receive need-based grants - will not get the financial help they count on during the 2009-10 school year,” said Sandy Waterkotte, UNCP’s chief fund-raiser.
“The global economic crisis has touched virtually every institution’s endowment, including ours,” Waterkotte said. “We could sit around and feel bad about this or throw a party.”
To help some of UNCP’s brightest and most deserving students, tickets for the S.O.S. Beach Party will go for a tax-deductible donation of $150 per person, $300 a couple and $1,000 for a table of eight. Major sponsorships are $3,000.
Sponsorships from local businesses have ensured that every penny of the proceeds will go directly to student support. Sponsors include: The Commons at Pembroke Apartments, Debbie’s Destinations, Scotland Memorial Hospital, First Bank, R.A. Jeffreys Distributing, Lumberton Radiological Associates, Metcon Construction, Pate Supply, and Paul and Pat Willoughby.
These and other local businesses and community leaders have come together in support of the event, and a committee has volunteered to help spread the word.
Lumbee Bank CEO/President and UNCP alumnus Larry Chavis said that “now, more than ever, I believe folks understand that investing in education is the key to helping improve and strengthen our communities.”
Fellow banker Bruce Mullis of BB&T observed that “in a tighter economy, people are looking for ways to have a good time – especially if they can accomplish something meaningful at the same time.”
Attorney Grady Hunt of Locklear, Jacobs, Hunt and Brooks added that “people care about the financial challenges facing today’s students, and if they understand that all proceeds will support these students, they’ll spend a little more for an evening out.”
Other members of the committee include Kent Chavis of Lumbee Bank, Aaron Thomas of Metcon Construction, Kellie Blue, finance director of Robeson County, Mickey Meekins of Lloyd Meekins Realty and Auction, Robin Jones, James Granger of Linsco Private Ledger, Mickey Gregory of the Lumberton Visitors Bureau, Carolyn Floyd-Robinson of New Life Services and Phillip Stone of First South Bank.
“No long and boring speeches, just a great band, dancing, fun drinks and great food; wear your flip-flops!” Waterkotte said. “Please come and make a huge difference in the lives of our students.
“I promise a night of fun at the beach,” Waterkotte concluded.
UNCP Director of Collegiate Development Alisia Oxendine, who helped bring the group of volunteers together, has been “amazed and inspired” by the level of commitment the group has brought to the effort.
For ticket or other information, call (910) 521-6252 or email advancement@uncp.edu.
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