The Town and Tower Club presented awards for outstanding service at its annual holiday luncheon at Mississippi University for Women, Tuesday.
This year’s recipients were MUW interim President Allegra Brigham, who received the Campus Award, and the 2011 Heritage Academy senior class, which received the Community Award for the Patriot Park project.
Campus Award
“Allegra truly is our rock star,” Nora Miller, MUW vice president for finance and administration, said when presenting the Campus Award. “She challenged us to Rock The W with an astounding demonstration of our love – with student referrals, with vocal support and with generous giving.”
Under Brigham’s leadership, MUW’s student enrollment is the highest it has been in 12 years, the university has become more involved with the community through service and partnerships, MUW’s alumni have reunified and funding cuts for this year and next year have been offset by approximately $500,000 in support of institutional scholarships.
“Thanks to Allegra’s character and leadership, we have renewed optimism and confidence in MUW’s future,” Miller said.
Before joining MUW as interim president, Brigham served as CEO and general manager of 4-County
Community Award
The Community Service Award was presented by Mark Bean, chairman of the Department of Health and Kinesiology at MUW, who explained that in the past the service award has typically gone to an individual. However, this year’s recipient was a group of young people who took on a significant community project.
As part of their Senior Leadership Initiative, a four-part leadership and citizenship program designed to challenge students to use their gifts and talents to benefit those in need, the Heritage Academy senior class chose to raise money, design and build a playground that would leave no child behind.
Described as a “fully-inclusive” playground, Patriot Park is disabled-accessible, has an extensive ramping system, wide aisles, fully rubberized surface and a Braille panel.
For a location, Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle offered the space inside its walking track and asked that the track be renovated to become fully inclusive as well.
In just a few months, students raised about $232,000 through fundraisers and appeals to local businesses who donated $75,000, another $75,000 donated by The Baptist Foundation and through the generosity of many other businesses and organizations.
Rebecca Partain accepted the award on behalf of the students.
“We had 52 students who gave their heart and soul to this project,” she said. “They were required to give of themselves and they did in a mighty way.”
Town and Tower’s purpose is to promote the mutual interests of Columbus and MUW.
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