Early Childhood Education Program Receives $750,000 Gift
Oct 6, 2006
Alice W. Lockmiller, native Floridian and Fort Myers resident since 1928, has made a $750,000 gift to Edison College for the Early Childhood Education Program. The donation will be used to fund an endowed chair for the Early Childhood Education program and a scholarship fund for Edison students.
"It is education that enabled to me to be a successful businesswoman. Without that success, I would have never been able to support the two causes that mean so much to me – education and the Methodist Church," says Lockmiller.
The State of Florida Dr. Philip Benjamin Matching Program will match the $750,000 with another $650,000. The total endowment fund of $1,400,000 will support the recruitment and retention of students through scholarship incentives and enhancements to the Early Childhood Education Associate in Science Degree Program.
The Edison College District Board of Trustees voted unanimously at its September 26th meeting to name the Lee Campus Child Development Center in Lockmiller’s honor.
"We are so proud to have the Alice W. Lockmiller Child Development Center on our campus. Alice has been a great friend to the College for more than 30 years, and I cannot think of a better way to acknowledge her tireless support of education," said Mary Lee Mann, Chairman of the Edison College District Board of Trustees and Member of the Foundation Board of Directors.
Lockmiller’s love of education has afforded her the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees at Florida Southern and American University and to receive an Honorary Doctorate from Tennessee Wesleyan and Wilmington College. Her "Common Sense Scholarship Fund" awards scholarships to Edison students, giving them a chance to use their "common sense" and live their dreams. "You can’t have a dream come true unless you have a dream," says Lockmiller.
For information on other funding opportunities at Edison College, call Tracey Galloway, District Director of Development at 239-489-9036.
Last Updated: October 6, 2006
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