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Edison State Community College
Holiday Evening at Edison State is “Reimagined”
J. Kathryn Lukey Named Event Chairperson
Established as both a celebration and commitment to higher education,
Holiday Evening at Edison State has become The Edison Foundation’s most
successful student scholarship fundraiser. The Edison Foundation has
Reimagined the 23rd annual Holiday Evening at Edison State to feature
local artists performing holiday favorites. The delivery, however, will
be a bit different this year.
On December 2, 2020, at 7:30 p.m., Edison State will host a
ninety-minute virtual broadcast of the 2020 Holiday Evening at Edison
State Reimagined to celebrate, recognize, and support Edison State
students, partners, and the caring, compassionate, and resilient
communities it serves.
J. Kathryn Lukey, who has served on both the Edison State Board of
Trustees and The Edison Foundation Board, has been named the
Chairperson for this year’s event.
“When I was asked to serve as Chairperson of the Holiday Evening, I was
honored. Of course, like all of us, we went through some struggles
trying to determine the format of this year’s event. The staff of the
Edison Foundation and its board are so talented and dedicated that I am
truly proud of how the Holiday Evening came together,” said Lukey.
The event will feature artists from the Edison State area, who will be
performing holiday favorites to enjoy from the comfort of home or
anywhere with internet access. This year’s entertainment includes Jimmy
Felts, Quintessential Winds, William Loudermilk, and The Innovation
Quintet. Throughout the program, The Edison Foundation will also
incorporate messages of gratitude, acknowledgments to Edison State
alumni who are essential workers, compelling student scholarship
stories, and a special tribute to the local entertainment and
restaurant industries.
In lieu of the phenomenal food offered annually at Holiday Evening at
Edison State—this year's event will extend beyond student scholarships
to also benefit local restaurants. Each ticket sold for the Reimagined
event entitles the purchaser to receive a $25 gift certificate
redeemable at their choice of one of the following local restaurants,
including Basil’s On Market, The Caroline, Coldwater Café, El Tequila
Mexican Bar & Grill, Harrison’s, Hickory River, JT’s Brew &
Grill, The Merchant House, Montage Café, Sharp’s Tavern, Smith’s
Boathouse, The Bridge, 3 Joe’s Pizzeria, Tavolo Modern Italian, or the
Turtle Creek Golf Course.
“Attendees will hear from some of our scholarship-winning students, and
I know they will be entertained as well. Our hope is that area
restaurants will also benefit from the gift certificate sales, and
attendees will have an enjoyable meal at a local restaurant of their
choice,” added Lukey.
As a former school nurse for the Upper Valley Career Center, Lukey
understands the value the education available in Miami County presents
to the broader communities served. During her career at Upper Valley,
she was charged by Dr. Richard Adams to head the Miami-Shelby
Consortium, which was established to provide classroom programs, teen
events, and teacher education programs to area schools, a position she
held for over 15 years.
Additionally, several of Lukey’s family members are Edison State
alumni, including her son Jeffrey, late granddaughter Chelsea, and
granddaughter Veronica. “Jeff worked with disabled adults as well as at
the alternative school in Sidney. His daughter Chelsea passed away a
few months after graduating from Edison State due to a rare form of
cancer. She was struggling with this diagnosis from age 14 until her
death at 23. She was active in high school as a cheerleader, a Big
Sister with the Piqua Chapter, and worked weekends at a nursing home in
Wapakoneta, all while going to college and fighting her cancer.
Veronica began with an associate degree from Edison State and has since
continued her education while working at Wright Patterson Air Force
Base, now pursuing a master’s degree.”
Due to COVID-19, the efforts to respond to community needs make The
Edison Foundation Scholarship program even more critical. The Edison
Foundation will also target proceeds to the new Student Emergency Fund,
which aims to help students with unexpected expenditures.
“Of course, the scholarships funded by the Edison Foundation are very
important to students in our area. Edison State is a beginning
education for many as well as a pathway to a career for others,” said
Lukey.
The 2020 Holiday Evening at Edison State is made possible by title
sponsor Emerson; presenting sponsor Premier Health–Upper Valley Medical
Center; Gold Sponsors AIM Media Midwest, Fifth Third Bank, Dr. Doreen
and Len Larson; Silver Sponsors Cox Media, Dan and Jill Francis,
Kettering Health Network, Ray and Bettye Laughlin, Park National Bank,
Thom and Sandy Shoemaker–Troy Holiday Inn Express and Suites, Wayne
HealthCare, and Wilson Health; and Bronze Sponsors Robert and Ann
Baird, Baird Funeral Home, Blackbaud Giving Fund, Oskar and Charlotte
Bushmann of the Troy Foundation, Ed and Kay Curry, Stan
Evans–Hamler-Gingrich/Favorite Insurance, Allan and Tami Baird Ganley,
Greenville Federal, Greenville National Bank, Dr. Richard and Beth
Hanes, Jim and Jackie Hartzell, Hartzell Propeller, Inc., Rose and Ray
Loffer Fund of The Piqua Foundation, Marias Technology, McCulloch
Felger Fite and Gutmann Co. LPA, Tom and Mardie Milligan, VPP
Industries, Inc., and The Wayne HealthCare Foundation.
To purchase event tickets and help support student scholarships, visit
www.edisonohio.edu/he. For more information about Holiday Evening at
Edison State, please email Julie Slattery at jslattery@edisonohio.edu
or call 937.778.7805. If you would like more information on becoming an
event sponsor or to be added to the event mailing list, email The
Edison Foundation at foundation@edisonohio.edu.
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