Union Bank partners with VGCC to present golf tournament
Union Bank is partnering with the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund to present the college’s annual golf tournament in 2015.
“We are so appreciative of Union Bank’s role in the four counties served by our college, and it pleases us that the bank is partnering with us to help our students secure scholarships,” said Eddie Ferguson, director of the Endowment Fund . “This is our first presenting sponsor in the 31-year history of our tournament. Union Bank has been a supporter for the tournament in the past and has created two endowed scholarships, so it is extra special for the bank to be the first at this new level of sponsorship.”
The 31st Annual Golf Tournament will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2015, at Henderson Country Club.
The homegrown connection between Union Bank and VGCC’s service area made the new partnership an easy decision, said Thomas M. Combs, president and chief executive officer for the bank. “The concept for Union Bank first began when a group of esteemed businesspeople in Granville County recognized the need for a community bank in north central North Carolina,” said Combs. Union Bank has offered the latest in technology, similar to the services of much larger institutions, but has continued to focus on local roots and the commitment to shareholders, clients and communities, said Combs.
“We began making our imprint on Granville County and have since expanded into neighboring Franklin, Vance, Person and Wake counties with other Union Bank locations,” he said. Vance-Granville Community College’s Endowment Fund provides hundreds of scholarships each year to students from the same area and beyond, Ferguson noted.
The 2014 golf tournament generated more than $50,000 from entry fees and from sponsors to help fund scholarships for deserving students and support the mission of the college, noted Ferguson. The amount set the record as the highest-grossing golf tournament in the history of the college.
“More than $550,000 has been raised by the VGCC golf tournament since 1985,” said VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams. “The generosity of our community partners, like Union Bank, has helped numerous students achieve their educational goals and will continue to benefit students for decades to come. We appreciate Union Bank serving as a presenting sponsor to help us be of even greater service to future students.”
Union Bank has started two scholarships at VGCC. The bank established the endowed Union Bank/Stanley H. Fox Presidential Merit Award scholarship in July 2014 to honor the longtime community leader who has been instrumental in the success of both the bank and the college. Fox, a former state legislator, is director emeritus on the bank’s board and current vice-chair of the VGCC Board of Trustees. The Union Bank & Trust Founding Directors Academic Achievement Award was started in December 2014.
For more information on the golf tournament, visit golf.vgcc.edu or contact Ferguson by calling (252) 738-3264 or by e-mail at fergusone@vgcc.edu .
For more information on Union Bank, visit unionbanknc.com . For more information on the bank’s involvement in the community, visit www.unionbanknc.com/community-involvement.htm .
Above: From left, Thomas M. Combs, president and chief executive officer of Union Bank, with VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams and Endowment Director Eddie Ferguson. (VGCC photo)
