Chamber of Commerce awards scholarships

In 1993, the Chambers of Commerce of Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties established the Ford C. Quillen Scholarship to honor the dedicated service of The Honorable Ford C. Quillen, who represented Lee, Scott, and Wise Counties in the Virginia House of Delegates for 24 years. Each year, a Lee, Scott, and Wise County or City of Norton graduating senior is selected for a Ford C. Quillen Scholarship. To be eligible, the graduate must be planning to enroll full-time in an undergraduate program at MECC or UVA-Wise. The applicant must also have demonstrated academic merit and leadership. The Wise County Chamber of Commerce’s Education & Scholarship Committee assists the MECC Foundation by selecting the scholarship recipient from Wise County or the City of Norton.

This year’s Wise County/City of Norton recipients of the $500 Ford C. QuillenScholarship are Dasanye Smith and Krista Meredith. Dasanye Cheyenne Smith is a graduate of J.I. Burton High School. Dasanye is the granddaughter of Terry and Shelby Shortt of Norton. She will be will attending UVA-Wise in the fall. Krista Rashay Meredith is a graduate of Union High School. Krista is the daughter of Charles and Patricia Meredith of Big Stone Gap. She will be attending MECC in the fall.

In 1991, the Wise County/City of Norton Chamber of Commerce established a scholarship to be awarded annually to a senior high school student who is a resident of Wise County or the City of Norton. Any student who is applying to either Mountain Empire Community College (MECC) or The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA-Wise) as a full- time student is eligible, and all students regardless of financial need are encouraged to apply. This $250 scholarship is now called The Cheryl Richardson Memorial Scholarship in memory of our former board member who died of cancer on March 24, 1996, at the age of 37.

Judging for the scholarship is based on the student’s transcript of grades and test scores; SAT and ACT scores; a student essay presenting evidence of activities contributing to school/community service and leadership; and one recommendation from a teacher or school employee who is in a position to evaluate character, service, and potential for success.

This year’s recipient of The Cheryl Richardson Memorial Scholarship is Lance Walker Collie, a graduate of Central High School. Lance is the son of the late Bill Collie, Pamela Collie- Price and step-dad Robert Price of Wise. He will be attending UVA-Wise in the fall.