Dozens of volunteers and alumni spent Thursday at Knoxville College to give the struggling school a helping hand.
Help came with huge handout of $50,000 worth of renovations from Home Depot. The national hardware chain named Knoxville College the winner of its "retool your school" contest.
To say times are tough for Knoxville College is an understatement. The historic black college with so many proud and successful alumni now has a campus full of condemned buildings, only a few dozen students, and has been unable to regain the accreditation it lost in 1997.
But for all the tough times, Thursday's turnout built encouragement for those who love the school and still hold onto hope that it can be saved. That includes 1962 graduate Sylvia Upton, who joyfully worked to place masking tape along the borders of door frames while dozens of volunteers rolled and brushed the walls with a fresh coat of paint.
"Even though depressing times are here, we still believe highly in Knoxville College," said Upton. "I came here as an 18-year-old girl full of hopes and was able to succeed as a professional educator. Knoxville College means so much to me and my husband, who is deceased. Right now Knoxville College needs me and also anybody else that can help in any way."
Visit Knoxville College Alumni Unit at:
http://kcbulldog4ever.ning.com/?xg_source=...
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Monday, September 8th 2014 at 5:16PM
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