MEDIA ADVISORY
from
The Oaklawn Foundation
For More Information Contact:
Kirby Williams
Phone 501.318.8384
OAKLAWN FOUNDATION TO AWARD MORE THAN 100 SCHOLARSHIPS TO
GARLAND COUNTY STUDENTS FOR THE FIRST TIME
(HOT SPRINGS, AR) May 15, 2014 – Kerry Owen, Chairman of the
Oaklawn Foundation Scholarship Committee has announced that the
Foundation will award 103 scholarships at a ceremony next week,
marking a jump in the number of scholarships from a previous high of
40.
“We’re extremely excited that Oaklawn Racing & Gaming has
continued to increase the funding to our Foundation so that we can
impact the lives of so many more students,” said Owen.
The Scholarship Award Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, May
20 at 10:00 a.m. in the Eisle Auditorium of the Dierks Nursing Sciences
Building on the campus of National Park Community College at 101
College Drive in Hot Springs. Arkansas Department of Higher Education
Director Shane Broadway will serve as keynote speaker.
Since its founding in 2007, the Oaklawn Foundation has awarded
340 scholarships valued at $1.142 million. The Scholarship Committee
has also endowed $291,000 of educational grants and authorized over
$82,000 in wellness funds to Garland County school districts.
The 103 scholarships, which represent 14 in-state institutions of
higher learning and four out-of-state, include the new Melinda Gassaway
Scholarship to be awarded to a student entering the communications
field. Gassaway is the recently retired Editor of the Hot Springs Sentinel
Record.
The Oaklawn Foundation was established in 2005 as a part of the
Community Benefits program promised during a campaign to allow
electronic games of skill at Oaklawn Jockey Club. The fund was seeded in
2006 with an initial gift of $1 million from the Charles Cella family. The
ongoing funding from Oaklawn is based on a set formula but is totally
voluntary. The Foundation is governed by a board of community leaders.
In addition to scholarships, half of the Oaklawn Foundation funds are
focused on senior citizen issues in Garland County. The total funding
from Oaklawn in 2013 was approximately $750,000. The annual gift is
expected to exceed $1 million annually when the expansion currently
underway is completed in 2015.
The Oaklawn Foundation is managed under a contract with the
Greater Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce. They disburse funds
through an agreement with the Hot Springs Area Community Foundation.
For further information on the Oaklawn Foundation, contact Kirby
Williams at 501.318.8384 or via e-mail at dave@hotspringschamber.com
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