Feb. 28, 2008

PEAR AWARD SCHOLARSHIP DINNER SETS RECORD
FOR COLLEGE FOUNDATION
Grace Harmon Recognized for a Lifetime of Compassion, Commitment, and Service

The St. Charles Community College Foundation PEAR Award Scholarship Dinner on Feb. 23 at Whitmoor Country Club in St. Charles raised $60,445 for scholarships and academic programs of excellence while recognizing the achievements of civic leader Grace Harmon. The proceeds this year set a fundraising record for the Foundation’s annual gala event.

The PEAR Award – Professional Excellence Achievement Recognition – was presented by Julie Bartch, president of the SCC Foundation Board, and John McGuire, president of St. Charles Community College.  Harmon was also “toasted” and “roasted” by friends and community leaders Billy Collier and Kevin Kast, with Rob Matheny as Emcee. 

“Grace Harmon’s parents could not have picked a better name for this woman of grace and compassion,” McGuire said. “She stands before us as an outstanding example of how we, as community citizens, can change lives for the better. She leads by example, placing high value on participation in her community and sharing her many blessings.”

Speakers for the evening praised Harmon for championing education, health care, the arts, and many programs that lift up and encourage others. “Her work has helped to build a better quality of life in our community. We thank her and we honor her,” McGuire said.

Now retired from an international business, First Foto, that she and her late husband founded, Grace Harmon has served in leadership roles with numerous boards and civic organizations. Active in the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce since 1986, she was president in 1999 and was selected as the chamber’s Citizen of the Years award recipient in 2002. She is a graduate of Leadership St. Charles (1990) and Leadership St. Louis (1995), was named Rotarian of the Year by St. Charles Sunrise Rotary Club (2000), and was honored by the St. Peters Chamber of Commerce and by Youth in Need (1996) for her involvement in activities supporting young people.

Harmon, of St. Charles, has also been honored with the Athena Leadership Award and the Dove Award for her community service and supporting the development of women in leadership. A champion of education, she serves on Lindenwood University’s Board of Directors and was a charter member of the St. Charles Public Schools Foundation, where she served for 10 years.

Harmon currently serves on the boards of Partners for Progress, Foundry Art Center, Mosaics Festival for the Arts, and ShowMe Aquatics. She chaired the St. Joseph Health Center Foundation in 1991, and the Harmons’ monetary gift in 1998 enabled the hospital to build a new rehabilitation center for patients suffering from heart and lung conditions. She is the 2007 chair of the St. Joseph Health Center Advisory Board.

Harmon served on the board of Connections for Success, where she supported the needs of women breaking the cycle of poverty to enter the job market. She also joined the Habitat for Humanity Board and is currently a church elder who is active with New Hope Presbyterian Church.

“It is easy to understand why our Foundation Board of Directors has selected Grace, whose love of community clearly demonstrates a true spirit of caring and giving,” Bartch said.  “As a workplace leader and as a community servant, Grace has always strived to help people who are less fortunate. Her style is to contribute and to serve, and she encourages businesses and corporations to do the same.”

Other speakers at the PEAR Award dinner included Tyler Foley and Shantell Behnke, SCC students and scholarship recipients, who thanked the Foundation and its donors for their generosity; and Ray Bernick, businessman and Foundation Board member, who appealed to donors for their continued support.

The presenting sponsor for the PEAR Award Scholarship event was The Newberry Group, Inc., with assistance from annual corporate partners C.E. Jarrell Contracting Company, Inc., SSM St. Joseph Health Center, Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Commerce Bank, NHC Healthcare, and Regions Bank. Other sponsors included 1st Advantage Bank, Arbor Realty, Citigroup, Component Bar, Planet Tool, SCI Engineering, St. Charles Sunrise Rotary, UPS, and US Bank.

Foundation President Bartch recognized the sponsors for all they do to help the SCC Foundation Scholarship Fund grow, enabling the Foundation to award $56,000 in scholarships for the winter/spring 2008 semester. The Foundation expects to award a total of more than $100,000 in scholarships during 2008.

The theme for the evening was “Destination Education,” with a travel motif reflecting the “passport to success” that Foundation scholarships provide. Festive continental decorations, a French food menu, a silent auction, and casino-style entertainment rounded out the evening.

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Last Updated: 2/28/08