Rogers State University President Dr. Larry Rice and the RSU Foundation Board of Directors invite the public to join them for breakfast in Pryor at an open event to benefit RSU students. The RSU Mayes County Scholarship Fundraising Breakfast will be held at 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Mayes County Fairgrounds in Pryor.
The event is free to attend and donations to benefit student scholarships are encouraged. Funds raised from the event will provide scholarships for students from Mayes County attending Rogers State University Pryor, as well as those from Mayes County enrolled in classes at RSU in Claremore.
Previously called the Pryor Scholarship Fundraising Breakfast, the name change reflects the “wider net” being cast by the Foundation to help more students, according to Tonni Harrald, senior director of development.
“We’ve hosted scholarship breakfasts for more than 10 years at each of the various locations – Claremore, Bartlesville and Pryor, with each breakfast benefiting students attending the respective campuses,” Harrald said. “The premise behind changing the Pryor breakfast to ‘Mayes County’ is that we wanted to expand the opportunities for students not just at the Pryor campus, but from Mayes County that attend either the Pryor or the Claremore campus. We feel this will allow us a bigger reach and enable us to help even more students.”
To fund the event, RSU welcomes individuals, groups and businesses from the Pryor and Mayes County areas to show their support for students through becoming event sponsors.
Sponsorship levels begin at $750 and should be submitted no later than Monday, Sept. 11, Harrald said.
Early sponsors and supporters for this year’s scholarship breakfast in Pryor include Arvest Bank; RCB Bank; MidAmerica Industrial Park; Kemp Quarries, Inc.; Kay Ingersoll; Butler Homes; Caitlin Baney with Edward Jones; RSU President Larry Rice and First Lady Peggy Rice; Nash and Dana Lamb; Tim and Julie King; Dr. Tom Carment and wife Deborah; Sherrer Law Office; Hillcrest Hospital – Pryor; Dr. Lisa Muller; and Kenny and Tonni Harrald.
Scholarship recipients are eligible to receive up to $1,500 per semester, Harrald said, significantly reducing the out-of-pocket investment for their education.
Students selected to receive scholarships from the fundraising breakfast are chosen from among those who have applied online for a Foundation-funded scholarship and have completed their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).
“We have been incredibly fortunate through the years that this has been such a successful event, allowing us to change the lives of many students,” Harrald said. “Funds raised from this event have been critical in the continuation of the scholarship program for Mayes County area students, and that wouldn’t be possible without sponsors, for whom we are so grateful.
“The contributions of our sponsors are tremendously appreciated,” she continued, “and it’s accurate to say that they’re making a difference in the lives of our students, helping to give them the chance to follow their dreams and reach their goals.”
After the RSU Mayes County Scholarship Fundraising Breakfast, the Foundation’s next fundraising event will be the annual Scholarship Auction and Dinner at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Tulsa (located in Catoosa) on Nov. 9.
The RSU Pryor campus is the only university that serves Pryor and the Mayes County area. On average, more than 350 students are enrolled at the Pryor campus each semester.
Rogers State University in Claremore serves northeastern Oklahoma and is the only four-year public residential university in the Tulsa metropolitan area.
For more information or to make a tax-deductible contribution, visit www.rsu.edu/mcsb.
For more information about this event or to become a sponsor, contact Harrald at [email protected] or 918-343-7767 or Vice President for Development Steve Valencia at 918-343-7780 or [email protected].