MECC Foundation Receives Matching Grant for Appalachia Alumni Endowed Scholarship

Big Stone Gap — Members of the Slemp Foundation have provided a matching gift to the Mountain Empire Community College Foundation in support of the newly established Appalachia Alumni Endowed Scholarship at Mountain Empire Community College.

The Appalachia Alumni Association raised more than $5,000 to support a scholarship for Union High School students at MECC. Their fundraising efforts were matched with a $5,000 gift by the Slemp Foundation, creating an endowment for scholarships for Union High School students.

The Slemp Foundation provides funding to improve the health, education and welfare of Lee and Wise County Virginia residents or their descendants and has awarded more than $38 million in scholarships. The MECC Foundation supports the mission of Mountain Empire Community College, raising funds to support student scholarships, programming and infrastructure, and community cultural and arts events on the MECC campus.

Angela Honeycutt, president of the Appalachia Alumni Association, noted how this gift will keep the legacy of Appalachia High School alive through future Union High School students. “On behalf of the AHS Alumni Association, we are so grateful for the matching donation by the Slemp Foundation. This Scholarship will help keep the spirit of the Appalachia Bulldogs alive while honoring our past and looking toward the future. This scholarship will benefit many students for years to come which will help carry on the legacy of Appalachia High,” Honeycutt said.

“The Slemp Foundation is pleased to be able to participate in the educational pursuits of the students of Lee and Wise Counties through the Appalachia Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund,” said Slemp Foundation Trustee James Smith. “It is through the foresight of C. Bascom Slemp that we are able to continue to provide for the betterment of the citizens and descendants of the citizens of Lee and Wise Counties.”

The MECC Foundation is continuing to raise funds to support the Appalachia Alumni Endowed Scholarship. Gifts may be made to the MECC Foundation, 3441 Mountain Empire Road, Big Stone Gap, Virginia, 24219 or online at www.meccfoundation.org/give. Please write “Appalachia Alumni Scholarship” on the check memo. For questions or additional information, please contact the MECC Foundation office at 276-523-7466.