Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation golf tournament raises $45,500 for scholarships, local charities
DOBSON — Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation (SYEMC) awarded its first Powering Our Future Scholarships in August to two local graduates who started their college education this fall. Also awarded funding were four local nonprofits. The scholarships and local charities were funded through the proceeds from SYEMC’s annual charity golf tournament hosted by the cooperative’s Community Projects Committee.
Three scholarship opportunities are being provided through the Powering Our Future Scholarships. The Line School scholarship and the Community College scholarship are open to dependents of SYEMC member-owners, member-owners of SYEMC, or a resident of a home served by SYEMC. The 4-year College scholarship is open to a dependent of an SYEMC member-owner or a resident of a home served by SYEMC and must be a high school senior.
For the first round of scholarship awards, Jackson Byerly and Hayden Tate were awarded 4-year college scholarships in the amount of $1,000 per semester for their first year of college. Byerly, a graduate of Mount Airy High School and an Elkin resident, is attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to study biomedical engineering. Tate, a graduate of Elkin High School and an Elkin resident, is attending Appalachian State University to study political science.
Prior to the creation of the Powering Our Future Scholarships, the only opportunity for a scholarship was for the delegates chosen for N.C. Youth Tour. “It is important for us to ensure we are making a difference in our communities, and that includes providing opportunities for high school students and adults to get a good education without being strained for ways to fund that,” said Caleb Lowe, chairperson of the Community Projects Committee.
This year’s golf tournament, held in June, hosted 31 teams at Cedarbrook Country Club, and raised $45,500 for the scholarships and four regional charities. This year’s beneficiaries include Pilot Mountain Outreach Center, Foothills Food Pantry, Yokefellow Ministries and Make-A-Wish Central & Western North Carolina.
Representatives from the beneficiary organizations were on hand at the golf tournament to greet the players and sponsors, share with them what their organizations do for the community and volunteer at the hole-in-one competition tee as well as other places as needed.
On Aug. 26, the Community Projects Committee hosted the representatives at the SYEMC office to surprise them with checks to fund their charities. Each of the three food bank/community assistance organizations received $6,000, while Make-A-Wish received $18,500 to be used for multiple wishes granted.
Earlier in the year, the Committee held a competition spring food drive and the area’s other three food banks — Tri-County Christian Crisis Ministry, Yadkin Christian Ministries and Northern Stokes Food Pantry — benefitted.
On Saturday, Oct. 3 at 5 p.m., the Committee will be holding its fall Bingo and silent auction to benefit The Shepherd’s House, a homeless shelter for women and families in Mount Airy. The event is at the Surry County Service Center, 915 E. Atkins St., Dobson, with doors opening at 3 p.m.
Powering Our Future Scholarship applications for the 2027-28 school year will open Jan. 1, 2027, and the deadline to apply is March 31, 2027. More information about the scholarships and the applications can be found at syemc.com/powering-our-future-scholarships.
