| LVEP Golf Tournament Provides Opportunity for Lebanon Students |
08.27.12 |
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“Because my parents didn’t speak fluent English, I had to mature at a young age,” recent Lebanon Valley College graduate and Dominican Republic emigrant Luisa Perez said. “At just 13 or 14 years old, I was translating all of their mail, scheduling doctor appointments, helping them get through life in a new country.”
Perez worked hard in school. She became a student of the Lebanon Valley Education Partnership (LVEP), a program of Lebanon Valley College and the Lebanon School District that encourages children in the city of Lebanon to study, stay in school, and aspire to attend college. Perez took it seriously and achieved great success in high school, at LVC, and now as a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, an opportunity she might not have without the support of LVEP.
“It was easy to keep my focus on my education,” Perez said. “My parents moved to the U.S. for me to get an education; I had no choice but school. My high school peers didn’t all have that mindset; some of them didn’t care about school at all. My parents gave up so much for me—I can’t ignore their struggles. They worked so hard for me to have a better life; I knew I had to make them proud.”
Perez is just one of 34 success stories of students who have graduated from Lebanon Valley College with the assistance of the LVEP program since 2000. In the fall of 2012, 26 LVEP scholars are pursuing LVC degrees. The program is primarily supported by a fundraiser in its 23rd year, the Annual Achievement Challenge Golf Tournament, to be held Friday, Sept. 7 at the Lebanon Country Club. Its organizers hope to raise $50,000 this year.
The four-person scramble begins with a shotgun starts at 12:30 p.m., and includes prizes for gross and net scores, closest to the pin, long drive, putting, and hole-in-one. Check-in and lunch begins at 10:45 a.m., with an opportunity for players to meet LVEP students from Lebanon High School. A post-tournament reception is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., and at 5:15 p.m. the awards program will begin. Roberto Valdes, a junior Lebanon Valley College student, LVEP recipient and mentor, will be the keynote speaker.
“I will always be grateful for LVEP and its supporters; the teachers from the Lebanon School District for seeing in me promise, determination and an ability to succeed at a college level; my parents for believing in me and supporting my dreams; and last but certainly not least, for the LVC community who have made my time at the Valley so far a spectacular experience,” Valdes said.
Jamie Cecil, director of development at LVC, said there is still an opportunity to participate in this year's tournament at the sponsor or player level to support these students.
Sponsorships are available with various benefits at the $100, $250, $500, and $1,000 levels and are for players and non-players. A single player sponsor for $250 includes entry, lunch, reception, tournament memento, name recognition in program and on the LVEP website.
To register for the tournament, contact Jamie Cecil at 1-866-LVC-1866 (1-866-582-1866) or cecil@lvc.edu.
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