The Anola Club of Pascagoula hosts “Champagne & Chocolate” scholarship fundraiser for Jackson County students
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - A group of esteemed women is sharing a toast to the bright futures of South Mississippi’s young leaders of tomorrow.
The ladies of The Anola Club of Pascagoula hosted their annual “Champagne & Chocolate” scholarship fundraiser on Sunday. The benefit is for students attending high school in Jackson County.
The Anola Club has made youth education one of its primary acts of service since its establishment in 1943. The club recognizes academic achievements in the community each year.
The scholarships will be awarded to seniors graduating from Gautier, Moss Point, Pascagoula, and Resurrection high schools.
To raise funding, the women orchestrate a silent auction and raffle on items like artwork and fine jewelry.
“We started this Champagne and Chocolate fundraiser ten or eleven years ago,” says Mary Anne Di Santi, Champagne & Chocolate Committee Member. “We’ve raised over one hundred thousand dollars in high school senior scholarships. Education is at the top of our priority list when it comes to fundraising.”
The organization awards nearly ten scholarships a year based on monetary donations contributed at the benefit.
“They are selected by application, and it tells a lot about them,” says Carol Cuevas, Anola Club of Pascagoula President. “We have a group of teachers that are with Anola that go over them and grade them and determine who comes out.”
The academic scholarships are estimated to be around fifteen hundred dollars per student.
“And it really helps,” says Di Santi. “It pays for books or a part of the room.”
The scholarship winners will be announced next month by the committee with an award ceremony presented by the club.
“Our kids are so intelligent and so smart and giving them a scholarship to further that is what’s important to us,” says Cuevas.
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