Recipients of Helen DeVitt Jones scholarships were recognized during South Plains College’s 2024 Scholarship Luncheon on Oct. 8 on the Levelland campus.
Members of the Helen Jones Foundation, including CEO and President James Arnold and Chief Operating Officer Christler Crews, were present to speak to students during the event.
“Our mission statement is education, youth leadership, museums and arts,” Arnold said during a Q&A session. “Therefore, the Helen Jones Foundation gives money to those organizations.”
Helen DeVitt Jones, a supporter of fine arts and organizations that work with public school and college students, funded the Helen Jones Foundation in 1984. The Foundation supported the renovation of SPC’s Fine Arts Building in 2007 and has provided grants to support the conservation of paintings in the Marjorie Merriweather Post Art Collection and improvements to the campus Theater, which bears her name.
The Foundation contributed to the establishment of five endowed scholarship programs at SPC: nursing, teacher education, music, non-traditional students and the Don Graf Technical Education Scholarship. In total, these endowed scholarships have supported over 800 SPC students.
“The last time SPC hosted a luncheon for the Helen DeVitt Jones scholarship recipients was in 2012, and 23 students were recognized at the time,” Samantha Goldie, director of SPC Development and Alumni Relations, said. “That number has more than tripled since then. It is an honor for SPC to be part of the legacy of Helen DeVitt Jones.”