Benefit to establish Sierra Newman Memorial Scholarship Fund this Saturday

Published 2:49 pm Tuesday, May 10, 2022

By Haley Mitchell Godwin

The Georgiana Opry House will host a benefit to help establish the Sierra Newman Memorial Scholarship Fund to Lurleen B. Wallace Community College (LBWCC) on Saturday, May 14, starting at 9 a.m. The scholarship honors 2018 Georgiana High School graduate, and LBWCC student and ensemble member at time of her death, Sierra Newman, who lost her life in a November 2019 vehicle accident while on her way to LBWCC. There will be an antique car show from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., an arts and crafts fair with various vendors, a bake sale and more. There is no admission fee for t

There will be fish, barbecue chicken, and boston butt plates for sale at the cost of $10 each. Sandwiches and hot dogs will also be available. 

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Rylee Austin, Tim Stewart, Backwoods Shine, New Vision, and Shane Harrell will provide live music begin at 3 p.m. Tickets for the concert are $10 and can be purchased at ticketleap.com or at the door. 100% of ticket sales will go into the scholarship fund. 

Flyer for the event

Newman’s grandmother, Sherry Fuller, said that there are no words to describe how devastated they were when Newman died. Fuller said that Newman was dearly loved by not only her entire family but also by the community and her LBWCC family. 

A call to action written by Newman’s grandmother, who with her husband Keith, raised Newman and her brother beginning in 2018.

Johnny Brewer (director of the LBWCC Ensemble), and Dawn Jarzyniecki(dear friend of Keith and Sherry Fuller) set up the scholarship to be endowed at LBWCC in memory of Sierra. 

A minimum of $25,000 is required to establish an endowment scholarship. The Sierra Newman Memorial Scholarship is currently $15,000 shy of this goal. Tax deductible monies donated for an endowment remain untouched, with investment interest used to fund scholarships for generations to come. Donations can be made with a one-time gift or pledged over a period of time with automatic withdrawals. 

Donations may be made by calling Chrissie Duffy, LBWCC Director of Institutional Advancement  at (334) 881-2390 or Christy Hawkins, LBWCC Administrative Assistant for Institutional Advancement and Foundations  (334) 881-2248. Please specify that you would like to donate to the Sierra Newman Memorial Scholarship fund. 

Online donations can be made anytime at https://www.lbwcc.edu/alumni/donate. Please select “specific program or fund” in the drop-down menu and leave the words Sierra Newman Memorial Scholarship in the notes section. 

For more information call Tracy Eason with the Georgiana Opry House at 251-583-2925.