President Gee welcomed the principals and counselors at an awards luncheon with Shawn and Angela Ball of L&S Toyota. Gee thanked the Ball family for their vision and leadership. "Shawn and Angela were the first to step up for us here in Beckley and we are so grateful for their commitment and support," Gee said.
The Ball family presented financial contributions to 12 high schools in attendance. These gifts, totaling $25,000, will support educational programming at each school.
"This is the right thing to do. We've done this for years and it is my favorite thing to do," Ball said. "There is a lot of need in the schools."
Ball also made a surprise announcement during the luncheon. He shared that he's committing another $25,000 among the schools that attended today. The schools may submit proposals to Ball via email that would outline how they would utilize the funds to assist students in need this holiday season.
Shawn and Angela Ball also continued their commitment to the WVU Tech nursing and engineering scholarship funds they established in 2015. The gift announcement on Thursday for $50,000 will be split between the two scholarship funds. This is the fifth consecutive year that the Ball family has contributed to these endowed scholarship - gifts totaling more than $250,000.
"We appreciate Shawn and Angela so much for helping students get an education here at home, in West Virginia," Campus President Long shared.
On Thursday afternoon, President Gee, Campus President Long and Shawn Ball visited with Woodrow Wilson High School students in the cafeteria to discuss opportunities to pursue college and the scholarships, academic programs and support services available within the WVU system.
Long encouraged the students at Woodrow Wilson High School Thursday afternoon.
"I want every student to know that they can go to school. We will lift every rock to find a way to help students afford an education," she said.