ANNUAL DANETTE LOWERY TEA PARTY SCHOLARSHIP by Terry Fleter

[Tim Lintz]

This article was shown in the Tri-City Times this month.

Attendees at the September General Membership Meeting of the Lapeer County Tea Party Patriots were introduced to the winning writer of this year’s First Annual Danette Lowery Tea Party Scholarship. Danette Lowery was one of the original founders of the local Lapeer Tea Party, who has relocated to North Carolina three years ago. Instrumental in its structure and growth, the Lapeer Tea Party Scholarship Committee found it to be fitting to name the $500 Scholarship after her.

The competition for the scholarship began late last winter. “Funds were raised with private bake sales, one dollar and one brownie at a time,” says Events Coordinator, Terry Ann Floeter. “We decided this fund raising concept to be the true definition of a grass roots organization.”

Competitors were required to be seniors in high school or older, Lapeer County residents, and/or enrolled in or accepted into a Lapeer area college or continuing education program. The 2013 winner wrote a superior essay. This year’s theme was “The U.S. Constitution and States’ Rights: How I Believe it Will Shape the Future of Michigan.”

The recipient, Neil Gupton, has been a life-long resident of Lapeer County, graduating from Lapeer West High School in 2010. He is currently enrolled at Mott Community College, with hopes of transferring to a four year university to study survey engineering. In addition, Neil is currently a Corporal on active duty in the United States Marine Corps as a topographic surveyor. The Lapeer Tea Party Scholarship Judges, a nonpartisan panel of three, were given all written entries without any identification of the writers, in order to ensure objective judging. It was unanimously determined that Neil is a well-rounded, patriotic, goal-driven Conservative, certainly deserving of the award.

 

Joining Neil onstage to accept his Scholarship were his new wife, Krystal Gupton, and his proud parents, Bill and Anne Gupton. The Lapeer County Tea Party Patriots organization is honored to have discovered and financially assisted a great Young, Conservative American, named Corporal Neil Gupton.

Terry Ann Floeter

Events Director

Lapeer County Tea Party Patriots

248-321-6176