Olney Education Foundation to raise funds in Texoma Gives

The Olney Education Foundation will be raising money during this year’s Texoma Gives online fundraiser on Sept. 8 to extend its mission of working with Olney High School “to identify students with financial need and drive and want to further their education,” OEF board member Kelly Mahler said.

After the Foundation identifies these students in their junior year, they are asked to submit an applications during the fall semester and selects up to five students each year. OEF has helped five students graduate from college, and currently has 20 students in its system, including a master’s and a doctoral candidate, Mr. Mahler said.

“What we do is twofold,” Mr. Mahler said. “We give scholarships for eight semesters. After they have been accepted into the program, we put a mentor with them and that person is there for the student, the school counselor and student’s parents to go through the checklist that it takes to get accepted, financial aid approval, housing and registering for classes.” The OEF mentors guide students through a degree plan and help match them

The OEF mentors guide students through a degree plan and help match them with schools – whether universities, trade schools or associate degree programs – and advise them on the smartest way financially to achieve their desired employment.

“We bring in the parents on the financial aid side to educate them and their student about the cost of college,” he said. “So, we try to give the students and parents peace of mind, so they don’t feel alone in the process.”

OEF operates independently of the school district. Before students even graduate from high school, OEF prepares them for college by helping with room deposits, buying laptops, and paying for Advanced Placement testing so students can enter their first year with college credits, Mr. Mahler said.

“This is just something we do to help Olney,” he said. “We saw a need; we saw a gap.”

At the foundation’s June 28 annual dinner, OEF scholarship recipient Shelby Sanborn spoke about her struggle to adapt from salutatorian at Olney High School to nearly failing her freshman year at Texas Tech University. She described finding her footing at Midwestern State University with the help of OEF, which intervened when they saw her floundering at Tech. She earned a place on the President’s Honor Roll at MSU in May.

“I got accepted into the social work program at MSU, and I got a job at Texas Roadhouse, I got a car … I was living with friends and I had a great support system,” she said. “I flourished. I slowly just built back up into being the social butterfly I am.”

To support OEF during the Texoma Gives fund drive, mark your calendars for Thursday, Sept. 8, and visit the website at www.olneyef.com. Click on the Texoma Gives link and follow the prompts to contribute. Those who prefer not to contribute online can mail donations to OEF, P.O. Box 68, Olney, Texas 76374.