OTC Foundation receives gifts to create four new student scholarships

Four new scholarships have been created at Ozarks Technical Community College thanks to gifts from four area business leaders.  The OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of the College, has established the following scholarships from the endowment gifts:

• Judy Breeding has endowed the “Judy Breeding Scholarship” for female accounting students.  Ms. Breeding is the CEO of Ben Steele Properties and is a member of the OTC Foundation Board of Directors.

• Sam and June Hamra have endowed the “Sam F. and June S. Hamra Scholarship” for Culinary and Hospitality Management students.  Mr. Hamra is Chairman & CEO of Hamra Enterprises and is a member of the OTC Foundation Board of Directors.

• Rick and Karen Hughlett have endowed the “Rick and Karen Hughlett Scholarship” for students in the automotive program at the College.  Mr. Hughlett is the Founder & President of Rick’s Automotive, Inc., and is a member of the OTC Foundation Board of Directors.

• The Charlie and Mary Beth O’Reilly Family Foundation has endowed the “Charlie and Mary Beth O’Reilly Scholarship” for students with financial need.  Mr. O’Reilly is Retired President and CEO of O’Reilly Automotive, Inc., and is currently Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company.

“We are grateful to these community leaders for their generosity and their support of our students,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, president of Ozarks Technical Community College.  “Their gifts demonstrate a commitment to the training and education of southwest Missouri.”

“These four scholarships will provide help for a wide variety of students, all with very different financial needs, for years to come,” explained Cliff Davis, vice president for Institutional Advancement and executive director of the OTC Foundation.  “In every case, though, these gifts will make it possible for more students to continue their education and become better prepared for their eventual career.”

The OTC Foundation is currently engaged in its first-ever Major Gifts Capital Campaign; these gifts are contributions toward the Foundation’s $2.5 million fundraising goal for the Campaign’s Student Scholarships Initiative.  Other initiatives in the Campaign include:  Center for Health Education, $2 million; Student Support Programs, $2 million; and Workforce Development, $3 million.