BY LORI WILLIAMS

Special to The Pilot

"Part of what makes the SUCCEED class so special is the wide range of activities students enjoy on a daily basis," says Nicole Worley, coordinator of the SUCCEED program at Sandhills Community College.

SUCCEED is a compensatory education program designed to teach developmentally challenged adults necessary academic and life skills.

"The devotion of the instructors to provide the best opportunities to these students is evident in the number of students who attend year after year," says Worley.

Instructors admit they could not do it alone. Parents like Ginger Brant are committed to enriching the lives of the SUCCEED students.

Brant recently spent several days with SUCCEED students demonstrating how to transfer their drawings to individual squares of fabric. These pieces of fabric were then crafted into a beautiful collective work of art - a quilt.

Brant shared her knowledge by assembling the squares and showing students how to hand-tie the quilt. This collective art is now exhibited in the lobby of Van Dusen Hall.

"Brant is one of many parents of SUCCEED students who have shared special talents or given time and resources to support our Compensatory Education program," says Worley. "Other examples include the initiation of fundraisers and the purchase of iPads for the students."

The Sandhills Community College campus community has also offered numerous educational and service opportunities for SUCCEED students. For example, the English as a Second Language students have been teaming up with SUCCEED students to teach Spanish while strengthening their own English-speaking skills.

"Our students are the obvious reasons instructors Edna McNeill Beverly Dunlop, Aisha Anderson and Rhonda Comer pour their hearts into this program," says Worley. "Their show of genuine love is evident, and they want to provide as many opportunities as possible to help our students live up to their greatest potential. When serving these students, it really does take a village, and we have the best village around."

Those interested in volunteering their services or sharing their financial prosperity or talent, should contact Worley at (910) 695-3772 or at worleyn@sandhills.edu.

"We invite you to learn more about this wonderful program by visiting our website at www.sandhills.edu/coned and click on the College and Career Readiness tab and then Compensatory Education," she adds.