‘Reach One, Teach One’: Newly Established Annual Scholarships Will Open Doors of Opportunity for Vance-Granville CDL Students
From left: Kyle Burwell, VGCC Dean of Business & Industry Solutions; Elisa Rodwell, VGCC Director of Occupational Extension; Carrie Cheek, mother of DJ Chavis; Tameka Holden, sister of DJ Chavis; Tanya Weary, VGCCF Executive Director; and Sheri Jones, VGCCF Associate Director.
Tameka Holden (sister) and Carrie Cheek (mother), both of Henderson, have established two annual scholarships at Vance-Granville Community College in memory of their loved one, David Lee Chavis Jr. The new need-based scholarships will give $1,100 awards to two deserving students in the college’s CDL (commercial driver’s license) program .
Chavis, affectionately called “DJ” by those who knew him, built a successful career as a commercial truck driver in recent years. A native of Vance County, Chavis had once lived a very different life—but hard work, renewed vision, and a commercial driver’s license provided him with a fresh start and an honest means of supporting his family. Chavis tragically lost his life to gun violence in March 2023.
Holden witnessed firsthand how her brother’s whole life transformed when he began his driving career and started his own business, TYM Trucking. From her perspective, creating a scholarship that can free others from a cycle of poverty and crime is the perfect way to honor his legacy and demonstrate her personal motto: Reach one, teach one.
If these scholarships prevent another family from experiencing the loss that hers did, Holden feels the effort it took to establish them will have been worth it. “The streets don’t love you,” she stressed. “They only take you away from the people that do.”
The VGCC Foundation anticipates awarding the two CDL scholarships in January 2024. The contribution represents grassroots fundraising efforts from family, friends, and neighbors; VGCCF has set up an ongoing fund for the David Lee Chavis Jr. Memorial CDL Annual Scholarship so that donors can continue to support the college’s future CDL students.
Vance-Granville Community College recently announced that the cost of completing its 9-week CDL program will decrease to $1,200 in 2024, meaning that tuition and related fees will be almost completely covered for recipients of the David Lee Chavis Jr. Memorial CDL Annual Scholarship.
In addition to providing scholarships to deserving students, the Vance-Granville Community College Foundation supports a broad range of special projects involving education, training, and economic development in our community. Tax-deductible donations to VGCCF have often been used to honor a person, group, business, or industry with a lasting gift to education. For more information about the VGCC Foundation, contact 252-738-3264 or foundation@vgcc.edu .
