2026
Recipients of The Louis & Katie Raynor Scholarship
CONGRATULATIONS!
CONGRATULATIONS!
Jerryanna Butler is headed to The Crown College in the fall to pursue an elementary education degree. In her scholarship application, Jerryanna wrote, "I believe it is important to bring opportunities state and nationwide to my small town to bring growth and broader horizons to the children."
When asked what lessons she has learned from overcoming life's challenges, Jerryanna wrote about a series of unfortunate circumstances happening to those closer to her and witnessing the power of being a good neighbor who shows up for those hurting in the community. She wrote, "These situations were incredibly hard to walk through and could have very easily 'broke' them and us as their family and friends. Instead we chose to lean on the Lord. Our community also gathered round with an abundance of support both in prayer and with gracious giving. During that time I learned first hand how the Lord can use experiences in our lives to bring about something good."
We join Jerryanna's parents, Chris and Katie Butler, in wishing her a huge CONGRATULATIONS on all of her accomplishments!
Gavin Weeks told us that his career aspirations come from both personal experiences, and a deep commitment to rebuilding and strengthening rural communities. Gavin will be attending East Carolina University to major in Construction Management with dreams of becoming a project manager and starting his own construction company.
Gavin's passion comes from working alongside his father as he built his business from the ground up, witnessing the impact of two destructive North Carolina hurricanes, and learning what it means to start over.
In his scholarship application, Gavin wrote, "I have learned resilience through uncertainty, responsibility through hardship, and determination through adversity. These experiences have also given me a clear sense of purpose. I understand firsthand how devastating it is to lose a home, and that understanding drives my desire to pursue construction. I want to be part of building stronger, more reliable homes, that can better withstand the challenges families face, just like mine."
We join Gavin's parents, Kristie and Jonathan Weeks, in congratulating Gavin on a job well done!
Gabrielle Goss is headed to Winston-Salem State University in the fall, and we couldn't be more proud of all her academic honors and awards and extracurricular accomplishments. Gabrielle has a big future ahead, with plans to leave a lasting impression. In her scholarship application, she wrote, "I want to make sure that the children in my community's voices are heard, and that they know they are more than just another kid in the school/community, and that they can make a difference."
She has become stronger despite the challenges she has faced. Here's what she has learned along the way: "I will always have to work 2x as hard as some of the people with whom I stand beside. I learned that some people will be upset when they see stuff happening in your life that they wished for, but that I still have to keep going, no matter what anyone says or what they think, because I earned my spot, just like everyone else who came before me."
We know that your family and community are proud of you, Gabrielle, and so are we!
Cooper Bland is a true inspiration! In her scholarship application, Cooper outlined her many academic honors and awards, her extracurricular and volunteer experiences, and her dream of becoming a physical therapist.
Cooper wrote, "Being able to help people heal, regain confidence, and get back to doing what they love is something that really motivates me. I also like the idea of working in a team environment, especially around sports, where I can be part of helping athletes succeed both physically and mentally."
During a partnership with Sampson Regional Medical Center to put on a teddy bear clinic for kids in kindergarten to 2nd grade, Cooper taught them many different things about the doctor and why it is not scary to go.
"They brought their own stuffed animal to school and became a doctor for the day, and their stuffed animals were their patients, they checked many different vitals and came up with symptoms of how their stuffed animals felt that day and prescribed the animals with doctors’ orders to make them feel better."
We are so proud, and we join Cooper's parents, Matthew and Kristy Bland, in wishing Cooper the very best on the road to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
2026 Marks 11 Years of Giving
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