June 26, 2015
ALAS (Amigos Latinos Al Servicio) of Mount Pleasant recently presented a check for $10,000 to the Northeast Texas Community College Foundation. The funds were used to create a perpetual $500 scholarship to be awarded to a first generation college student attending NTCC.
The money for the scholarship was raised at the first annual ALAS Cinco de Mayo on the Square event that was held May 2 downtown Mount Pleasant. The daylong event included a 5K run/walk, authentic Mexican food vendors, a soccer tournament, booths from local businesses, live music, a singing talent contest and Miss Cinco de Mayo & Miss Chiquitita pageants. More than 5,000 people attended the event throughout the day.
"We were very pleased with our first event and we hope that it will only grow in the future. It is a great opportunity to celebrate Hispanic culture in a fun way that involves the whole community," Ester Smith, event organizer, said. "We were so pleased to be able to give back $10,000 to help local residents achieve their dream of a college education."
ALAS is a volunteer group of Latino professionals in Titus County with a vision to empower, promote, advocate and help identify the needs of the growing Hispanic community in Mount Pleasant and surrounding areas. The second annual Cinco de Mayo on the Square event is scheduled for Saturday, May 7, †2016.
"The Foundation was thrilled when we found out that ALAS would donate proceeds from the Cinco de Mayo event to support NTCC Scholarships. Most of our students have financial hardship, and scholarships like these go a long way toward helping them reach their goals," Dr. Jonathan McCullough, NTCC Vice President for Advancement, said.
To learn more about this or other scholarships at NTCC, or to find out how to help support scholarship, please contact McCullough at†903-434-8115. To learn more about ALAS, visit†alastexas.org.
