Rotary Club of Laurens Awards Local Scholarships Including the King Dixon Scholarship

The Rotary Club of Laurens has awarded three academic scholarships through the Laurens Rotary Foundation Scholarship Committee for the 2022-23 school year, worth a total of $5,000.  Patty Craine, Laurens Rotary Foundation Scholarship Committee Chair, claimed it to be a “Gold Letter Day” as she expressed her excitement to the Club.

One scholarship is the annual Laurens Rotary Scholarship, awarded to Julia Motes, a recent Laurens District 55 High School graduate.  Motes received $1000 to Piedmont Technical College where she will continue her studies in the Vet Tech program to earn her Veterinary Technician Degree.   Motes earned 12 hours of college credit and worked at Trinity Ridge Animal Health during High School.

The Club is very excited to offer the newly created King Dixon Scholarship to USC Union/Laurens. This scholarship was named in honor of King Dixon, who was a former football player, Athletic Director, and avid USC supporter. He was a long time Rotarian and Past District Governor. Because of his belief in lifelong learning, the King Dixon Scholarship is to be awarded to a student(s) at least 25 years of age.  Matthew Dean, Club President, commented, “Offering this scholarship, honoring the memory of our much-loved King and Augusta Dixon, brings me and other Rotarians great joy.  We know the Dixons would be proud of their Club and the success of the students they will continue to support.”

Dana Harding and Amber Thompson were the two King Dixon Scholarship recipients, each receiving $1,250 to USC Union/Laurens.  Harding is a single mother of two girls. She works full time and plans to continue her studies toward a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership. Thompson, a mother of two, employed full time, received an Associate’s Degree in Arts from Piedmont Tech in May.  She plans to complete a Bachelors in Organizational Leadership.

The fifty+ Rotarians of the Rotary Club of Laurens, SC, a membership service organization, represent a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in local communities, and in themselves.

The Rotary Club of Laurens, SC meets weekly on the third floor of Historic Laurens City Hall, located on the northeast corner of the public square in Downtown Laurens.  Hundreds of special people have served as Rotarians in Laurens, SC, creating an on-going Club to make a difference through the work being done locally.