A word of thanks during Thanksgiving

During this Thanksgiving season, I would like to express the gratitude of the Rowan County Crosby Scholars Board of Directors and staff for the ongoing and generous support we receive from this community. Thank you for allowing us to further our goal of building a college-going culture in Rowan County.

In 2013, Crosby Scholars was introduced to Rowan County as a product of the alliance of Goodwill of Northwest North Carolina and the Crosby Scholars program in Forsyth County. Integral partnerships with Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Catawba College, Livingstone College and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College were soon formed. By August of that year, Rowan County Crosby Scholars had enrolled 1700 students.

Through the support of F&M Bank, which kindly provides our office space, and folks like Fred and Alice Stanback, Bill and Nancy Stanback, Greg and Missie Alcorn, Larry and Cheryl Cloninger, and many others, we have been able to grow our program. We’ve benefited from the generosity of The Blanche & Julian Robertson Family Foundation, the Salisbury Community Foundation and The Margaret C. Woodson Foundation. Our academy workshops have seen over 2500 students and are coordinated by Kathy Sanborn and her staff at Education 4 All. Our volunteer base has also grown and we would not be able to function without the services it provides for our students. We truly appreciate the guidance counselors, teachers, administrators, retirees and parents who give of their time to help our students learn more about accessing college.

This fall, we sent 173 Crosby Scholars from the Class of 2016 off to 40 colleges and universities in five different states. We are thankful for the sponsors and attendees of our BBQ, Bands & Boots fundraisers, which have allowed us to award 55 of those students Last Dollar Grants to assist with their college costs.

And perhaps most importantly, we are thankful for our students for putting their trust in the Crosby Scholars program and for giving us the privilege of walking alongside as they pursue the dream of higher education.

-— Gwin Barr

Salisbury