A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: April 10 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be e-mailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Lydia Gober, special contributor; Nick Young, photographer.
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Plain and Fancy Ball raises more than $200,000
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| The event featured Texas Hold 'em poker and Blackjack tables | The chic ruggedness of Texas, the dazzle of tuxedos and glittering gowns.
The Plain and Fancy Ball 2006 combined western swank with formal attire, but the real story lies with the fundraising. The annual event raised more than $200,000 for scholarships through the CCCCD Foundation. Last year’s Plain and Fancy Ball raised $150,000 for scholarships.
In August, the CCCCD Foundation, Inc. awarded 266 students scholarships totaling more than $135,000. Another $70,000 was pledged for the spring semester.
“College opens a world of great opportunities, but too many talented people are sitting out because they cannot afford it,” said Sam Roach, chair of the Collin Board of Trustees. “Scholarship donations have a direct payback locally because they put higher education within reach for students who will become the nurses, teachers, firefighters and EMTs we need.”
“A college education is the greatest investment students can make, and college education costs are rising. Here at Collin, we strive to keep tuition affordable, but the number of students who need financial assistance continues to grow each year,” said Cary A. Israel, Collin president.
More than half of Collin’s 17,000 credit students sought federal financial assistance or local scholarships this year. More than 2,000 of these requests for scholarships and financial aid had to be denied.
“Outside support is absolutely critical to our ability to provide scholarships for the many deserving students who want a quality education at this institution. We are very grateful for the support and generosity of our sponsors," Israel said.
Foundation Board Chair Larry Eagan said, “Our most important goal is to increase the number of scholarships that the foundation can provide to worthy Collin students.”
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| Mike Zack and Kim Moore judged the tango and two-step dance contests. | For their support of the students, Plain and Fancy Ball attendees enjoyed a night of gaming tables, dancing, the live Collin Jazz Lab Band and a costume contest that mixed western, formal wear and the just plain silly – all for a good cause.
The Arthur Murray Dance Studio provided free tango and two-step dance lessons. The food featured pork along with a mashed potato bar and a dessert table with cookies, a chocolate fountain and other goodies.
For more information on the Plain and Fancy Ball and its sponsors, visit www.ccccd.edu/plainandfancy .
Visit the college Foundation, Inc. at http://foundation.ccccd.org/ or call the Foundation office at 972.881.5611.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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