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Chronicle Photo & Story written by Cristy Loftis
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Seventh-grader Beverly Ruley seemed to walk a bit taller as she left the stage clutching a
certificate.
"She's come a long way," her mother Vickie Weaver-Corleee
said as she watched Beverly make her way back to her seat.
Beverly was one of hundreds of children who received Upwards
Bounds awards from local Rotary Clubs this school year.
The last awards ceremony was held for the middle and high
school students Thursday morning at the Citrus Springs Community Center.
The Upward Bound program began in 1990 and is designed for
children who may not make the honor roll, but are making an effort.
"The purpose is to reward the child who has made great
improvements or achievements," said Cathy Pearson, a Rotarian and
director of community support for Citrus County.
Pearson's daughter, who recently finished her first year of
college, received an Upward Bound award in the fifth grade.
"She was a kid who just had no self esteem," Pearson said.
"Once she got the award it really changed her. Her confidence has just
bloomed ever since."
Citrus County's five Rotary Clubs sponsor the upward bound
program, because they believe that all students should be recognized for
successes, not just the ones at the top.
"Everybody can't make an A," Kings Bay Rotarian Jim Eagan
said. "We try to recognize the student who try really hard."
Former U.S. Congresswoman Karen Thurman spoke to the
award winners Thursday and congratulated them for their efforts.
"We hear so many bad stories we tend to forget that there are
a lot of people doing it the right way," Thurman said. "You all are
very special." |
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