Over $6,000 was raised for the St. Clair County Distinguished Young Women at the Celebrity Waiter dinner last week. Pictured, back row from left, are celebrity waiters District Judge Alan Furr, Moody Mayor Joe Lee, District Attorney Richard Minor, Captain Billy Murray, Probate Judge Mike Bowling, Commissioner Ken Crowe, St. Clair Times Associate Editor Gary Hanner, Coroner Dennis Russell, School Board Member Angie Cobb and husband Greg Cobb, School Board Member Marie Manning and Commissioner Paul Manning. The 2013 DYW participants are, from left, Abby Leisure, Katie Clowdus, Anna Brasher, Hannah Logan, Kaylyn Pate, Lacey Gossett, Kelsey Smith, Kayla Pilkington, Jennifer Peoples and Kelsey Lovell.
Ten young ladies, who are juniors in area high schools, are participating in this year’s program. They are Kelsey Smith, Kayla Pilkington and Katie Clowdus from Moody High School; Kelsey Lovell and Jennifer Peoples from St. Clair County High School; Anna Brasher from Pell City High School; Kaylyn Pate from Crossroads Christian School; and Lacey Gossett, Abby Leisure and Hannah Logan from Springville High School.
One of these teenage girls will be named the 2013 St. Clair County DYW on June 16, at the auditorium at Springville Middle School.
Celebrity waiters were St. Clair County District Attorney Richard Minor; Moody Mayor Joe Lee; St. Clair County Commissioner Ken Crowe; St. Clair County District Judge Alan Furr; St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Captain Billy Murray; St. Clair County Commissioner Paul Manning; St. Clair County School Board member Marie Manning; St. Clair County Probate Judge Mike Bowling; St. Clair County School Board member Angie Cobb; St. Clair County School Administrator Greg Cobb; St. Clair County Coroner Dennis Russell; and St. Clair Times Associate Editor Gary Hanner.
The program’s co-chairpersons are Kathy Soltis and Melissa Adkins.
“Our dinner was so successful,” Adkins said. “We raised $6,000 that will go directly to scholarships that will be awarded June 16, the night of the program. We are very proud of our participants and their program little sisters for their hard work at our dinner.
“Our celebrity waiters did a wonderful job. We are very thankful for their willingness to help our program in providing scholarships for our participants.”
Soltis said the night was truly a success story.
“All of the celebrity waiters did a wonderful job, and our Distinguished Young Women, both participants and little sisters, had a good time,” Soltis said. “Our county came out and supported our program in a most generous way, from all that volunteered to those who cooked the meal, and those who purchased the meal and left their gratuity for our scholarship program.”
Soltis said every bit of the money raised goes toward cash scholarships for winners in the Be Your Best Self Essay, Spirit Award, scholastics, interview, talent, self-expression and fitness categories of competition, as well as our overall winner who will be the Distinguished Young Woman of St. Clair County for 2013.
“We will continue to take donations for those who missed the dinner, and would like to donate to the scholarship program,” Soltis said. “We have 10 smart, talented young ladies who will be competing for this scholarship money at our program in June.”
Program volunteer Carol Hornsby said she is most grateful to the community leaders who have assisted in the fundraising efforts.
“We have had another huge outpouring of support for this scholarship program for our county’s young women,” Hornsby said. “We encourage citizens who missed the dinner to mail in their contributions up until June 1. All monies will be awarded on program night, June 16.”
For more information, go to www.distinguishedyw.org or email stclair@distinguishedyw.org.
Tickets for the program will be available at the door.
Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@thestclairtimes.com.
