Local Newsmakers - June 22, 2008

By Staff Reports

Forty-eight area high school seniors have received $1,000 scholarships from Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores in the Charlotte area. Wal-Mart gave $8 million in scholarships this spring.

Local students receiving the Sam Walton Community Scholarships are: Melissa Sudol, Clover High School; Deanna King, South Pointe High School, Rock Hill; and Rickey Carver, York Comprehensive High School, York.

Local student receives S.C. citizenship award

Brooklyn Mullinax received the South Carolina's Governor Citizenship Award April 20. Mullinax is a fifth-grade student at Northside Elementary School of the Arts and is a member of Girl Scout Troop 163. The award was presented by Gov. Mark Sanford.

DAR honors eight youth with citizenship awards

The Catawba chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution recently presented six eighth-grade students with the Good Citizenship Award.

The students were chosen by their counselors based on their honor, courage, service, leadership and patriotism. Award recipients were Keri Foss, Castle Heights Middle School, Rock Hill; Courtney Selle, Westminster-Catawba School, Rock Hill; Augusta Couch, Saluda Trail Middle School, Rock Hill; Krysten Guyton, Rawlinson Road Middle School, Rock Hill; Amy Williams, Sullivan Middle School, Rock Hill; and Lydia Dodson, York Educators at Home.

Splash Dash events attract 200 people

More than 200 people participated in the 10K and 5K races and the 5K walk during Splash Dash June 14 at Camp Thunderbird / River Hills Plantation in Lake Wylie. Participants in the 10K race were from age 12 to 75 and in the 5K race, ages ranged from 6 to 63. All winners and their times are available on www.queencitytiming.com/results.htm.

River Hills Lions name new officers

The River Hills Lions Club has inducted Dona Van Leer as president. Van Leer joined the Lions in September 2002. During her first year, she mentored Clover High School students and volunteered at the Clover Area Assistance Center. She has been the club's FOCUS editor, photographer, sold ads for the Lion's telephone directory, worked on the potluck supper, co-chaired the Juvenile Diabetes Walk to Cure Diabetes 2003 to 2008, was secretary of the River Hills Lions Community Foundation 2003 to 2004 and was influential in negotiating the S.C. Lions health screening unit into the Clover school district.

Other new Lions board members are George Gessner, first vice-president; Jerry Epping, second vice-president; Dick Pastor, third vice-president; Ron Kraft, secretary; Tommy Haughton, treasurer; Jay Wolf, Gerry Orlick, Anita Rounds and Ralph Byra, all directors; Bill Burgin, membership chair; and Sandy Decker, publicity chair.