By Morgan Burkett

 

Summer is in full swing and so are the nerves for the young women of the upcoming senior classes of 2016.

Monday night was the first meeting for Butler County and Lowndes County’s Distinguished Young Women competition.

There were a total of nine women and seven little sisters to attend the meeting, and organizers are still calling for more participants.

“The deadline is July 17, and we want to invite all upcoming seniors to participate,” said Starla Jones, chairman of the Butler County and Lowndes County Distinguished Young Women.

The participants will be scored on academics, poise, talent, physical fitness, and expression.

“For the first time in several years, all four schools in the county are represented which is very exciting,” Jones said.

“And, with such a large number of participants it is more important than ever for people to give to the scholarship fund as we desire to provide as many cash scholarships as we can for these well deserving young ladies.”

Along with inviting more participants, the Butler County board of directors is asking for support with the scholarship campaign for the 2016 program.

Scholarship awards are given to winners in several different categories.

Donations can be designated to sponsor one specific award or go into the general fund. All donations are tax deductible and are handled by the Alabama Junior Miss Scholarship Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation.

The DYW program is planning to award more than $5,000 in cash scholarships to the winners of the competition.

To donate, contact Jones at skjones@centurytel.com

The Distinguished Young Women Program will be held on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2015 at 7 p.m. at The Ritz Theatre.