The Five Star Credit Union Foundation has awarded its first scholarship grants to help students pay for college for the 2022-2023 school year.

Southern Regional Technical College in Bainbridge was awarded $10,000 for incoming freshmen. Providing scholarships is one of the main ways the Five Star Credit Union Foundation removes the financial barrier to college for students in the Wiregrass.

“Our purpose at Five Star is to brighten the financial future of the communities we serve,” said Robert A. Steensma, president of the Five Star Credit Union Foundation. “By helping as many students as possible attend college, it sets a foundation for the rest of their lives. We want to not only remove barriers for our members to gain access to financial services, but we also want to remove barriers to help our communities prosper and gain the skills they need to be successful.”

Five Star Credit Union is currently sponsoring a $2,000 grant with Southern Regional Technical College to cover the costs of the GED/HSE program in Mitchell County.

The $10,000 grant will enable three students to be able to attend college tuition-free this upcoming school year. The grant goes into the Southern Regional Technical College scholarship system. The recipients of the scholarship will be chosen by Southern Regional Technical College.

“The Five Star Credit Union Foundation’s continued generosity is characteristic of their commitment to supporting the remarkable potential of our students,” said Jim Glass, president of Southern Regional Technical College. “These substantial scholarships will surely send a message to our students that their future matters not only to themselves and their families, but to their entire communities. I am confident that Five Star Credit Union Foundation’s investment in high-quality education will pay dividends for many years to come.”

The foundation awarded $30,000 total to three schools in the communities it serves.

Alongside SRTC, Wallace Community College in Dothan, AL, and Coastal College of Georgia in Brunswick, GA each received $10,000. This will help eight students attend college tuition-free during their freshman year.