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| Upward Bound students from Cherokee High School who delivered care packages to Tsali Care Center in December included, from left: Autumn Payne, Laurel Welch and Ula Calhoun. |
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| Upward Bound students from Smoky Mountain High include, front row, from left: Emily Alligood and Veronica Perkins. Middle row: Morgan Carpenter, Dakota Messick, Jessica Buchanan, Autumn Farmer and Naomy Bravo. Back Row: Ethan Williams, Christian Queen, Jason Muse and Kristina Frady. |
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| Upward Bound students from Franklin High include, front row, from left: Crystal Mathews, Katlyn Brodnax and Morgan Mohr. Middle row: Erin McCall, Haylie Prottsman, Britt Cochran and Thomas Nichols. Back Row: Chloe Tallent, Kaitlynn Roper, Denver Elliot and Matthew Truesdell. |
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| Upward Bound students from Swain High include, front row, from left: Heather Whitt, Rachel Schneider and Katharine Murray. Back Row: Kylie Pond, Caleb Crisp and Jaymon Grant. |
Throughout the month of December, students, alumni and staff from Southwestern Community College’s Upward Bound program worked to make sure 2014 started well for many.
They started out by wrapping presents for families of Children First/Communities in Schools in Asheville. The group then made care packages from donations they’d been collecting and delivered them to the Jackson County Department of Aging and Tsali Care Center.
Students also gathered to make handmade cards that were sent to troops deployed overseas.
“The day we wrapped presents was filled with smiles and thoughts of the wonderful kids that would receive the gifts,” said Cheryl Renfro, an academic advisor for the Upward Bound program at Southwestern. “Creativity flowed as each student added special touches to each package we took to the elderly, and the cards we sent to our troops were a wonderful opportunity for us to express our appreciation and inspiration.”
SCC Upward Bound is a college preparatory program with students from Smoky Mountain, Cherokee, Swain and Franklin high schools. Students participate in activities throughout the academic year including service projects, college visits, tutoring and leadership development in addition to receiving information on college, financial aid and scholarship opportunities.
For more information, contact the Annette Kesgen, the program’s director, at 339-4281 or akesgen@southwesterncc.edu.
