Dowdy Student Stores raises $7,000 for military student scholarships
Dowdy Student Stores, University Advancement and Perfect Promotions & More present a check to AFROTC. (Photo by Cliff Hollis)
East Carolina University’s Dowdy Student Stores donated $7,000 on Nov. 2 to benefit an Air Force ROTC scholarship. The funds were raised from a portion of the sale of military appreciation T-shirts at Dowdy.
Representatives from University Advancement, Dowdy and its vendor, Perfect Promotions & More of Apex, presented a check to Lt. Col. Brian Lebeck of ECU’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 600 and Lt. Col. Robyn Boehringer of Army ROTC. The presentation was originally scheduled for February but was postponed due to COVID-19.
“Air Force scholarships are limited, so donations like this help supplement students’ tuition and go on to become service members in the Air Force and Space Force,” Lebeck said.
“A handful of my cadets rely on this donation every year to help finish their studies, so this is going to go a long way,” Boehringer added.
The scholarship fund is in memory of Christopher Scott Lambe, a 1981 graduate of ECU. Lambe was commissioned as a second lieutenant through ECU’s Air Force ROTC Detachment 600. He served as a pilot and tragically died in an accident while attempting to save a fellow crew member.
“Through the support of Pirate Nation and Dowdy Student Stores shoppers, we’re proud to be able to make such a sizable contribution to local agencies and organizations associated with ECU,” said Stephen McFadden, president of Perfect Promotions & More and an ECU alumnus.
McFadden has supported the bookstore’s cause T-shirt program since 2014. The program has raised more than $87,000 for various charitable organizations since its inception. The military appreciation T-shirt sale is the most popular and occurs near Veteran’s Day annually, according to Leslie Craigle, associate director of marketing for campus safety and auxiliary services.
“Pirate fans have always been supportive of the cause-related shirts,” said Bob Walker, Dowdy Student Stores associate director. “Dowdy store staff put tremendous effort into this T-shirt program, with shirts sold through stores on campus and stadium shops. We’re proud to be part of anything that supports the military and knowing some proceeds from the Military Appreciation shirts will go toward ROTC scholarships makes this even more special,” he added.
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