Women
for A&M-Texarkana has attracted 361 members since it was
established in May.
The
first pledge of $25,000 was raised at a recent gourmet dinner and
art auction featuring Chef Dean Fearing from the Mansion on Turtle Creek
in Dallas.
(Texarkana)—Lara Alexander of Texarkana, Texas, believes that “if you get a group of women together, we can do anything.”
Texas A&M University-Texarkana is the beneficiary of Alexander’s enthusiasm. As founder and president of a new group called Women for A&M-Texarkana, Alexander is heading an effort to promote the university and raise money for scholarships and academic programs.
“The idea originally was to get the word out about A&M-Texarkana because there was a lot of misinformation over the last year about what was coming and what was not coming to the new campus,” said Alexander, who has a stepson at the university.
She said she got the idea to establish the group when she discovered that many area high school students do not go on to college. She decided to find a way to help students understand the tremendous value provided by an education at A&M-Texarkana.
Since it was established in May 2005, Women for A&M-Texarkana has attracted 361 members. Dues are $25 per year and membership is open to any woman who wants to join, regardless of affiliation with the university. A 20-member board of directors oversees four committees that handle issues related to community awareness, membership, finance and social activities.
The group has accomplished a lot in a few months. In addition to hosting a “welcome wagon” for students and faculty at the beginning of the fall semester, members have raised $14,500 for an endowed scholarship and paid half of a $50,000 pledge for the Endow the Future Campaign with the proposed College of Engineering and Information Sciences.
The first pledge of $25,000 was raised by the 194 attendees at a recent gourmet dinner and art auction featuring Chef Dean Fearing from the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas. Tickets for the event, held at the Texarkana Country Club, sold out weeks in advance.
Plans also are under way to work with local school districts to promote higher education.
“It is thrilling to experience the excitement and vision that these ladies have for the future of A&M-Texarkana,” said LeAnne Wright, the university’s director of institutional advancement. “This is another example of a group of people from the community who have come together with a desire and determination to help college students succeed in fulfilling their dreams.”