BY KRISTIN MERRON | August 15, 2019On Sunday August 11, 2019, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas and The Stewpot held a special “Scholarship Sunday” service recognizing all current Stewpot scholarship recipients and previous year graduates.
As the former students and graduates were waiting for the 10:50am service to begin, students ranging from freshmen to recent graduates were able to interact with one another and exchange stories about what they are currently doing. Alma Reyes, Manager of Children & Youth Programs at The Stewpot says, “Everyone was nervous and excited to attend.”
As the service opened, Brenda Ewing-Snitzer, Executive Director of The Stewpot said a few words of welcome before introducing Suzanne Erickson, Director of Educational and Workforce Programs. On the Sanctuary stage, Suzanne called out the names of the recent graduates while Alma recognized those who are currently in school (i.e. trade, community college or university). One-by-one each participant was recognized by the FPC congregation.
Later, former student and scholarship recipient turned teacher, Mayra Chavez, shared her personal account on how The Stewpot's Children & Youth programming and receiving a scholarship, has made a difference in her life – she thanked the sponsors for providing her the support to succeed.
A reception followed with drinks and light snacks where the scholars were able to network and mingle with everyone in attendance. Many FPC members shared sentiments of “Congratulations” and kept saying how proud they were of the students and their hard work. It was truly a unique opportunity to meet and hear from current and former students and graduates whose lives have improved thanks to the services provided by The Stewpot's Children & Youth programming.