HAMLET – Through its member-funded SECU Foundation, State Employees Credit Union has awarded four local students the SECU Bridge to Career Workforce Development scholarship valued at $500 to study at Richmond Community College.
The scholarship recipients are Sandy Faircloth, Stanley Franklin and Kendrina Crowder, all of Rockingham, and Veraka Sturdivant of Morven.
Faircloth, Franklin and Sturdivant all completed the truck driver training program; Crowder completed the pharmacy technician program.
The SECU Bridge to Career Workforce Development program strives to help remove financial barriers for unemployed and underemployed students seeking careers with sustainable wages in their local communities. Administered by each college, the initiative focuses on assisting individuals with finding vocational and job placement opportunities through eligible training programs that lead to state-regulated or industry-recognized credentials. Scholarship funding will be applied to educational expenses and other expenditures associated with their program of study through a North Carolina community college’s workforce development program.
“SECU members share a deep commitment to education and the cooperative spirit of helping others,” said Hal Shuler, who serves on the SECU’s local advisory board and is associate vice president of development at RichmondCC. “The SECU Bridge to Career Workforce Development program is an opportunity to help these students succeed, opening doors that will challenge and prepare them for a new career and future in today’s workplace. On behalf of the SECU Foundation, it gives me great pleasure to offer our congratulations to the scholarship recipients.”
With the combined commitments for the SECU Bridge to Career and “People Helping People” Community College Scholarship programs, SECU funding for the NC Community College System totals more than $1 million annually.
Wylie Bell is the director of marketing and communications for Richmond Community College.
