Whitis Foundation giving educational savings bonds to pageant winners
By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press
Although some of the littlest winners at the upcoming Five Hills Scholarship pageant may not be walking yet, a local company is investing in their educational future.
WB Development’s Whitis Foundation is giving educational savings bonds to the winners ages 0-8 years old.
On Thursday, WB Development’s Vice President of Development Operations, Josh Welch, met with the royalty in the model home at Creekside Hills, located on North F.M. 116.
The Whitis Foundation gives to local school districts such as CCISD and KISD, and giving to the pageant winners is in addition to what they already do.
“In discussions with David (Morris), he said he noticed that WB Development was doing some work in Cove, and he wondered if the foundation would like to come on board with the pageant,” Welch said. “It’s nice to have the opportunity to be in the position I’m in, working for Bruce Whitis, to have the financial ability to have some options and o things to help give back.”
Welch, a Copperas Cove native and alum of both CCHS and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, grew up in a culture of education in his family, with his father a longtime coach and his mother a retired educator herself.
“I’ve been around people giving back to kids my entire life. So, the earlier on you can be a positive influence in a child’s life, the greater the impact. There’ statistics that show that.
Welch gave the youngsters a few tidbits of wisdom as they visited.
“Like my dad used to tell us, anything in life worth having is not easy,” Welch told them. “There will be challenges and things to overcome, but if it was easy, everybody would do it.”
He shared how he was impressed by the pageant and why the foundation continues to support it, and ultimately the young people.
“I know by watching in the community and by reading the paper, seeing all you do, we continue to support this. The effort that you put it, you are bringing a benefit and doing a lot of things in the community,” Welch told the gathered royalty.
Altogether, the March 21 pageant will award more than $85,000 in scholarships and prizes to its contestants this year.
Registration for the 7th Annual Miss Five Hills Scholarship Pageant runs through March 1. Applications are available on the City of Copperas Cove website at http://www.copperascovetx.gov/parks/five_hills_pageant/.