Rocky Mount Rotary Club Presents $35,000 to ECC

The Rocky Mount Rotary Club recently presented $35,000 to Edgecombe Community College to support student scholarships. Shown from left are RM Rotary and ECC representatives Lynwood Roberson, Samanthia Phillips, Lyn Brown, ECC student Je’Asia Belcher, Mark Frohman, Dr. Greg McLeod, and Daryle Coppedge.
Photo by Kirby Slade

The Rocky Mount Rotary Club recently presented Edgecombe Community College with $35,000 to support student scholarships.

During a Rotary event in October, Rotary leaders awarded $105,000 in scholarship funds to support local students attending Edgecombe Community College, Nash Community College, and North Carolina Wesleyan University.

The funds were raised through Tackle the Tar, an annual 5K obstacle course race that generates funds to support local college students. The event is sponsored by the Rocky Mount Rotary Club.

Dr. Greg McLeod, ECC president; Lynwood Roberson, executive director of the ECC Foundation; Samanthia Phillips, vice president of student services, and ECC student Je’Asia Belcher attended the Rotary presentation.

“Year after year, Rotary members prioritize local higher education. While their gift enables students who might otherwise not be able to attend college, their support also is an investment in the future of our community. We are grateful for their commitment to higher education,” notes Dr. McLeod, who has participated in every Tackle the Tar race since he became president of ECC in 2018.

Over the past seven years, the Rocky Mount Rotary Club has donated more than half a million dollars in scholarships to the three schools.

Next year’s Tackle the Tar is set for May 18, 2024. To learn more, go to tacklethetar.com.