AURORA, COLO.— One of the most anticipated events each year at the Community College of Aurora is the annual scholarship luncheon, which will be held this year on May 1 at the Hyatt Regency in the Denver Tech Center.

Two CCA students will be awarded scholarships at the luncheon. They are: Amie Thompson of Grand Haven, Mich., and Bridget Rager of Colorado Springs, Colo., who will be recognized as Student Success Award Scholarship winners. Rashad Morris and Dejane Lattany, both of Aurora, Colo., and Mile High United Way Pathways Scholarship recipients, will receive special recognition for their achievements.

According to organizers, the luncheon is a time to recognize CCA students receiving 2009 scholarships, to acknowledge the donors who made the scholarships possible, and to share the impact of past support on CCA’s scholarship program. Honorary event chair for this year’s luncheon is Bruce Wagner, president and COO of Wagner Equipment Co., based in Aurora. The event is presented by 2G Associates. 2G’s president, Diane Garcia, was recently reelected president of the Community College of Aurora Foundation. An honors graduate from Central Community College in Columbus, Nebraska, before earning her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska, Garcia serves on the legal and advisory boards of five Denver-area companies.

Angela Hake, a recipient of a Mile High United Way L:earn Scholarship at the Community College of Aurora and a paraprofessional for the Aurora Public School district, will be a featured speaker at the event. “In the summer of 2006, I came to the Community College of Aurora to earn a Group Leader Certificate in Early Childhood Education,” Hake says. “It was a simple enough task: Take two classes in early childhood ed, have enough hours working with children, and get my certificate. But a funny thing happened … I met instructors who believed in me.” Hake, a mother of seven, will share the rest of her inspiring story at the event.

Diana Whye, executive director of the Community College of Aurora Foundation, says that one of the most moving aspects of the gathering is the opportunity for scholarship donors to meet CCA students who benefit from their gifts. “It can be very emotional when scholarship recipients stand up in front of hundreds of people and share the impact that these scholarships have had on their lives,” she said.

A highlight of this year’s event will be a fund-raising scholarship match. CCA Pathways Program supporter Jeff Peierls of The Peierls Foundation, Inc., has offered to match dollar for dollar up to $10,000 in donations raised at the luncheon to support student scholarships at the college. Last year, $21,720 was raised on the spot as a result of a similar challenge. Last year’s luncheon raised approximately $90,000 in total through the support of sponsors and guests for student scholarships.

NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA: The event begins at 11:15 a.m. on Friday, May 1, at the Hyatt Regency/Denver Tech Center, 7800 East Tufts Avenue in Denver. MEMBERS OF THE NEWS MEDIA ARE WELCOME AT THE EVENT.

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