Winders family establishes endowment at Wayne Community College
By From staff reports
Published in News on February 21, 2016 1:45 AM
The family of the late Wayne County Sheriff Carey A. Winders has established an endowment at Wayne Community College to provide scholarships for students in public safety programs, officials announced last week.
The endowment, set up through the WCC Foundation, was funded with the $27,690 proceeds from the Sheriff Carey A. Winders Memorial Golf Tournament and Auction, held in September 2015.
Scholarships from the funds will provide tuition, fees and equipment for students from Wayne County enrolled in the Basic Law Enforcement Training, criminal justice, public safety or first responder programs at the college. Among the criteria for recipients is that they must have at least a 2.8 grade average and have demonstrated good character.
The first Winders scholarship was awarded this semester at the college.
Winders passed away suddenly in January 2014. He had been the county's sheriff since 1994 and had actively supported the college's public safety programs, officials said.
This year alone, the college Foundation has awarded 567 scholarships, worth $367,765, presented for the 2015-2016 academic year. In addition to raising and disbursing funds for scholarships, it provides funding for innovative campus projects and employee recognition, and offers cultural programs for the community.
In 24 years, the annual scholarship invitational -- which started out as a golf tournament -- has evolved into one of the strongest events of its type across the community college system.
Created in 1993 as an effort to support student scholarships, it surpassed the $1 million mark in 2013 and continues to generate popular support, both from golfers and the community.