Jack and Judi Poole understand the value of education, which is why the North Augusta business owners have established a $25,000 endowment at Aiken Technical College to provide scholarships for its students. The college will decide how the money will be distributed to its students, and the couple plans to donate $25,000 annually to the endowment.
The Pooles own Vampire Penguin, a dessert shop located at 507 Georgia Ave., Suite A that sells shaved snow treats in a variety of flavors. They bought the franchise a little over a year ago and plan to open a second location in Cumming, a suburb of Atlanta, this spring.
North Augusta Mayor, Briton Williams introduced them to Aiken Tech’s President, Dr. Forest Mahan, who gave them a tour of the campus and discussed the college’s programs. Judi said the college will invest their donation and use the interest earned on that investment to fund scholarships.
“This can change the trajectories of their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren,” she said.
Jack said they chose Aiken Technical College because its students can learn a trade without the staggering tuition costs charged by many four-year universities, which means they can graduate debt-free.
“I’ve always wanted to create scholarships,” he said. “We want this (the business) to be an engine for providing those scholarships.”
Judi said they could’ve required that the scholarship funds be applied strictly to tuition. “We elected not to do that,” she said.
Jack said there are many obstacles that prevent people from enrolling in and completing college, such as a lack of childcare or financial difficulties. They would like to remove some of those obstacles for local students. Mahan told them many of Aiken Tech’s students are single mothers.
Besides scholarships, the couple also provides jobs for many high school and college students in the North Augusta area. They even provide their employees with a share of their profits. Jack said they were very impressed with the programs Aiken Technical College offers because “They’re really an asset to the whole area.”
In the future, the Pooles may consider donating funds to other technical colleges. Next month, they will get to meet the students who have received their scholarships at a breakfast hosted by the college.
Aiken Tech offers associate degrees, diplomas, and certificates in a variety of programs, including nursing, criminal justice, and welding.
