MLK scholarship fundraising to begin
By SCOTT POWELL Ledger Staff Writer spowell@gaffneyledger.com

Fundraising efforts will soon begin for a $100,000 scholarship endowment to honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The MLK Jr. Decade Fund was announced in 2006 to fund an annual scholarship for Cherokee County students at Limestone College and a historically black college. The endowment fund was established by the local Martin Luther King Jr. Community Diversity Celebration Committee.

The nonprofit status has been approved and the committee is now able to accept donations towards the scholarship endowment, Martin Luther King Jr. committee co-chairperson Rev. J.W. Sanders Jr. said. The scholarship fundraiser and a community service day are among the ways county residents can participate in this year's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

"It is important that we continue to promote education and build on the legacy of civil rights achievements by leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.," Sanders said. "We hope this endowment will allow students to continue their studies and contribute to our communiwww. ty's understanding of the importance of the civil rights movement."

Fundraising efforts for the endowment will occur between 2008 and 2018 before the first scholarships are expected to be awarded. Once the endowment is fully funded, the endowment will be able to fund scholarships for students indefinitely.