32nd Annual Student Scholarship Golf Tournament The community is invited to attend this fund-raising event on Saturday, May 4th at the Hickory Hills Country Club. This family function will start with a Shotgun blast at 1 PM. Family fun includes free admission. “The Shed”, local award-winning restaurant will offer grilled lunches. Enter the big raffle for only $10 a ticket for a chance to win a prize of $1st Place $750, 2nd place $300 or 3rd place $100. Compete in the 3rd annual Air Cannon contest, shoot a golf ball from a compressed air cannon to win $250. The winner is the individual to shoot a hole in one or come closest to the pin on the green. The tournament has been organized annually for 32 years by the Rotary Club of Gautier. The vast amount of planning and labor required to provide this tournament is provided by volunteers: Rotary Club members and their families and other players. Mr. Jim Twiggs, a member of the Rotary explains the mission of the event, “The goal is to keep students local, rather than having them relocate to other areas.”

The hope is that future graduates will support our local areas of Gautier and Vancleave. High school graduates or current college students in the local area may apply for the scholarships by making the application and submitting to the Gautier Rotary Club. Their selection committee makes the final awards. Historically, each scholarship received was between $1000 and $1500. Depending on the funds raised at the event, 10 – 20 scholarships will be awarded. Scholarship funds can be used as any form of payment to the college; university fees, books, room, and board. In the 32-year history of the event, the Rotary club has distributed over $600,000 in college scholarships!! Sponsors and players applications are being accepted until April 30th, the Rotary club is inviting between 20 – 35 teams, let’s get those 35 teams this year, simply contact Mr. Jim Twiggs at 228-497-9525 or 228-826-1179. Entry fees start at $100 per player and there are 5 levels for sponsors with various donations. All contributions are 501(c) 3 Tax Deductible. An interesting fact is that in 31 years there has never been rained out of this event. Come on out for the fun and sun on the pristine Greens at the Hickory Hill Country Club.

Brenda Lewis is a native of Jackson County. She has attended the University of Southern Mississippi on numerous occasions, earning a BS in Architectural Technology, advanced studies in Accounting and now on a mission to finalize her Masters of Business Administration. Brenda is an avid fisherwoman, owns her own boat, baits her own hook, cleans her own fish and cooks them. But sorry guys, she has a loving husband, daughter and 4 grandchildren. When unable to fish her spare time is spent in the greenhouse and garden, supplying fresh edibles for the family and cultivating local species and rarities. In 2007 her team was awarded the 2007 Golden Eagle Challenge from the University of Southern Mississippi. The challenge was to create the best business plan and presentation of a viable technological business. In 2015 she was certified as a TapRoot Cause Analyst, a system used to improve performance, fixing small problems to avoid major incidents. Having worked in a small family business since childhood she was exposed to entrepreneurship. That experience led her to her own business, tax preparation, where she served her loyal clients for 10 years. During that time, she earned the Enrolled Agent certification with the IRS, and insurance and security licenses, offering additional services to her clients. Her employment has been in private business, government, contract and corporate settings. Mostly in management, her tasks included a variety of administrative, safety, Quality control and human resources. “The reason I want to write for OurMsHome is I have experienced the advancements in Jackson County first hand over the past 50 years, and I feel that the county has made enormous progress. We need to ‘toot our horn’ and let the world know about our rich history and abundant natural resources.”

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