Upward Bound at Rotary Club
By GREG COLLINS Publicity Chairman

Bertha Brown, head of the TRIO Upward Bound program at Kilgore College, was the guest speaker for the Kilgore Rotary Club on Wednesday.

Brown has been on the job since February and has got the program up and running in less than two months.

TRIO Upward Bound is a federally funded college preparatory program that offers assistance to low-income and potential first generation high school students. The focus of TRIO Upward Bound is to develop students' skills and motivation necessary for post-secondary education training and to help them graduate from colleges or universities.

Kilgore College was a 2007 recipient of a TRIO Upward Bound grant. The target area is composed of two counties, Gregg and Rusk. The program will serve 50 students per year in four target high schools. The schools are Gladewater, Henderson, Pine Tree and Sabine.

Kilgore College's TRIO Upward Bound will offer a comprehensive set of academic and support services that are provided year-round. The program is designed to help participants graduate from high school and complete a college education.

To be eligible, a student must be a first generation collegebound student, meet low-income eligibility guidelines according to federal TRIO regulations, be a freshman or sophomore at one of the four target high schools, be willing to participate in all aspects of TRIO Upward Bound and maintain a 2.5 g.p.a. in high school.

For more information, contact the Kilgore College TRIO Upward Bound at 903-988- 7424 or visit the program at 1100 Broadway on the Kilgore College campus. Brown's e-mail address is babrown@kilgore.edu.

In other Rotary news, the District Assembly is set for April 19 in Gilmer. All of the next year's board members are asked to participate in this.

The Scholar Athlete Banquet is set for Thursday, April 24. Students from KC, KHS and Sabine will be honored.

The annual Rotary Golf Tournament is Monday, May 5. Two-person teams will play six holes of scramble, six holes of best ball and six holes of modified alternate shot.

The District Conference is planned May 16-18 in Tyler, and then the installations for Steve Brown as District Governor and Sammy York as president of the local club follow in June.

This Wednesday, Brad Streit of KLTV Channel 7 in Tyler, will be the guest speaker.

Kilgore Rotary Club meets each Wednesday at noon in the ballroom of the Meadowbrook Country Club. Guests are always welcome.