VALDOSTA – By raising funds for their school theatre productions, 44 Valdosta Middle School Players students garnered approximately $85,000 in scholarships.

“During the fall, the drama department held its annual fundraiser,” said Toni Jarvis, VMS Players director. “We do these fundraisers to help pay for costumes, props, set pieces and special effect instruments needed to produce our shows.”

Great American Fundraising Company offered an incentive for students to participate and raise money for the middle school theatre productions – college tuition scholarships.

The fundraiser marked the second year Jarvis has worked with Great American Fundraising. In 2018, only 11 students participated and earned scholarships. This past fall, 44 students participated in the fundraiser/scholarship project.

Some of the students from the first project also participated in the second-year project and “those scholarships will stack on each other,” Jarvis said.

Scholarships are good throughout the United States, she said, and include schools such as Young Harris, Savannah School of Art and Design, and Morris Brown.

“Our fundraiser was a huge success but the biggest success was giving these students an opportunity to have help furthering their education,” Jarvis said. “I am aware some of our students do not even think about college because of the cost to go. These scholarships not only give them the support they will need for their education but I feel it also gives them hope that a college education is obtainable.”

 $1,000 Scholarship Recipients

Briana Jones, Avery Jowers, Skylar O’Neal, Olivia Shawver, Precious Williams, Trinity Brinson, Neosha McKellar, Amari Johnson, Hailey Sheaks, Morgana Donathan, Hannah Griggs, Maggie Matheny, Amelia Nutting, Rin’Niya Robinson, Royce Varney, Makalah Williams, Arianna Denson, Jayla Denson, Ella Herring.

$2,500 Scholarship Recipients

Joshua Ault, Aaliyah Banks, Michael Bishop, Reanna Blair, Tymiah Broaden, Hannah Childress, Braden Sawson, Lauren Pickett, Annabelle Blair, Saffron Donathan, Callie Gray, Hannah Kiser, London Simpson, Zikyriah Williams, Megan Raabe, Ella Shine, Ada Brown, Zion Coon, Destiney Durr, Katie Rabbe.

$5,000 Scholarship Recipients

Anna Roney, Loughren Haden, Madelyn James.