The Pioneer Vol. 51, Issue 1

12 / FEATURES Sept. 27, 2017 / Vol. 51, Issue 1
piercepioneernews.com SPORTS / 13
SCRAMBLE PUTS MONEY IN STUDENTS’ POCKETS
Annual fundraiser raised
$46,000 in August
FALL 2017 RAIDERS SPORTS
KICKS OFF INTO HIGH GEAR
By MARJI HARRIS
Staff Writer
EVERY YEAR THE PIERCE
COLLEGE Foundation hands out
thousands of dollars in scholarships.
Recipients are not just Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math
students or enrolled in the criminal justice
program. They are veterans, military
dependents, homeless — the list is endless.
One of the major fundraisers for these
scholarships is the annual golf scramble.
The 24th scramble was held Aug. 10 at the
High Cedars Golf Club in Orting.
The foundation traditionally has been
the beneficiary of some generous donors
who use the scramble and the auction at
the dinner banquet afterwards as a way to
contribute to the fund.
Nicole Ferris from the foundation was
one of the volunteers who coordinated the
event. Due to a very successful fundraising
event earlier this year, the foundation is
making some changes to how the money
raised is distributed.
“What we want to do is meet the
greatest need of the student. Scholarships
traditionally have been tuition-based, but
we are expanding so it is more about the
cost of attendance and everything that rolls
up into that,” Ferris said.
Volunteers also contributed to the
success of the event. Staff and students
fill various key positions, from handling
raffle drawings to directing traffic. For the
donors, it is a way for them to put faces to
the names they helped.
“We rely so much on our volunteers
to make this happen. Our donors really
live to interact with our students. They
are the ones who benefit from the donor’s
generosity,” Ferris said.
Pierce College Chancellor Michelle
Johnson is enthusiastic on how the event
benefits the students.
“Our students are here, showing the
golfers how they have been committed to
helping be part of this. That is the key part,
showing how it helps students. We have
always had a student speaker who talks
A participant
lines up for
a finishing putt.
about the impact,” she said.
John Gibson, owner of Cool Cycles Ice
Cream Co., had a prime location in the
middle of the course. He is a Pierce alum
and received a scholarship during his term
there.
“When I first went to Pierce College, I
had no confidence at all. All I wanted to be
was a businessman. Now I build a milliondollar
apartment building and have 5
different companies. It all started at Pierce
College,” Gibson said.
At the end of the day, the event raised
about $46,000. It is money waiting in a
scholarship or grant, ready to be put to use.
John Gibson, owner of Cool
Cycles Ice Cream Co., handed
out free ice cream to guests.
Matt Wuscher/Contributing Photo
“I would encourage every student
to apply for a scholarship. You’ll see
something around October. That is when
we do our next review,” Ferris said.
ONLINE
• Information for applying is
available at pierce.ctc.edu/
foundation-scholarships
• Watch The Pioneer’s video
of the event at
bit.ly/2xk2voM
Matt Wuscher/Contributing Photo
Arielle Barber spikes the
ball over the net.
Victoria Valencia,
left. races down
the field against the
opposing team who
tries to steal the ball.
Goalkeeper Kaitlyn
Brantzeg attempts to
stop Centralia from
scoring a goal, but the
ball gets past her.
Kenzie Seitz
(in blue) hits
the ball.
Middle hitter Brooke Peterson
(in blue) goes for the ball.
Photos by Debbie Denbrook/Staff Photo