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The President’s Partners at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) again offered their support of $2000, which was matched by the Mid-America Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans of America (MAPVA), for a total of $4000 to provide scholarships for veterans at NEO. The scholarship was established to support the River Bottom Annual Hunt for Disabled Veterans, which is held in Miami each year. Four $1000 scholarships are awarded and can be used for tuition, fees, books, as well as room and board. “The President’s Partners are dedicated to supporting NEO students through scholarships,” said Jennifer Walker, executive director of the NEO Development Foundation. “It is an honor to provide this financial support to students who have served our country.” This program represents a beautiful partnership,” said Jack Dalrymple, president of the River Bottom Sportsmen. “Our program is grassroots and we have over four hundred people sharing in a way that is on their heart. It has grown from more than just a community project into a multi-state effort of people doing what is right.” Mr. Dalrymple also shared the importance of the scholarships that the partnership provides. “As our program has grown, NEO has been involved from day one. We see the extreme value the college brings to the community, and what better way to work together than to provide scholarships for some of our veterans and their families. I am proud to be a part of this.”

NEO students Josiah Davis, Kyle Sovel, Kimberly Reed, and Richard Owens were selected as this year’s recipients. The students were honored at a banquet held in conjunction with the annual hunt. Davis is from Grove, Okla., and served active duty from 2003-2007 and was stationed at Naval Station Norfolk and Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek attached to both the U.S.S. Mount Whitney and the Assault Craft Unit TWO as a gunnery liaison and a line instructor. Currently majoring in Social Sciences with a 2.7 GPA, Davis and his wife Samantha have recently celebrated the birthday of their one-year-old son, William. Sovel is a freshman from Grove, Okla. and served from 2004 until 2014 in the U.S. Army as a Specialist Track Mechanic. He served three tours in Iraq between 2005 and 2013, for a total four and half years. Currently a pre-veterinary science major with a 3.4 GPA, Sovel and his wife Kira have three children: Audrey, Axel, and Hunter. Reed is a freshman from Miami, Okla. and served as a Mental Health Specialist in the U.S. Army from 2006 until 2017. She served in Iraq from 2009-10 and is continuing her education as a psychology/sociology major with a 2.2 GPA. She is the mother of three children: Shaedon, Ayahna, and Ambrielle. Owens in a sophomore from Quapaw, Okla. and has served as a specialist in the Army Reserves for three years. Owens is currently a business managements/business administration major with a 2.5 GPA.

First preference of criteria for the scholarship is active and retired military personnel; second preference is given to dependents (spouse/children) of active and retired military personnel; and final preference is given to extended family members of active and retired military personnel. The recipient must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA and be enrolled in at least 6 hours. Special consideration will be given to students enrolled in an online course that is less than 6 hours. For more information or to apply for the scholarship, please contact Walker in the NEO Foundation Office at 918-540-6250. (Photo: Jamie Williams, President’s Partner Mark Osborn, Josiah Davis, Jack Dalrymple, Kyle Sovel, Bill Kokendoffer)