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News you can use
Destiny Martin swings her hula hoop as a hula hoop contest reaches its final two competitors during the Northern Beach Ball fundraiser Saturday at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre. Attendees bid on six different hoopers for a chance to take half the total pot. The other half of the bids went to fund future scholarships at Northern.
Jim Potter, right, takes beach-themed photos during the Northern Beach Ball Saturday at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre.
The shadow of a fake palm tree is projected on the wall at the Armory Gymnasium Saturday, February 16, 2019, in Havre, Mont.
Luke Rechristen helps with a live auction during the Northern Beach Ball Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre, Mont.
Kurt Johnson, center, speaks to Haley Kline and Billy White while they await the hula hoop contest Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre, Mont.
Contestants in the Northern Beach Ball hula-hoop contest prepare themselves prior to the competition beginning Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre, Mont.
Kambri Bender pours a drink while bartending during the Northern Beach Ball Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre, Mont.
The Northern Beach Ball crowd watches as Kurt Johnson attempts to keep his hula hoop up Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre, Mont.
Destiny Martin, center, looks over at Haley Kline as the two continue swinging their hula hoops Saturday, February 16, 2019, at the Armory Gymnasium in Havre, Mont. Martin and Kline beat out the other competition early on and continued to hoop for multiple minutes as the final two contestants.
In the past week, a large donation and a busier-than-expected fundraising event have provided a boost to scholarship funds at Montana State University-Northern.
The university announced in a press release Thursday it received a $682,000 donation from the estate of Olive and Elmer Sanborn to create an endowed scholarship fund at the school. Two days later, the Northern Alumni Foundation held its annual Northern Ball scholarship fundraiser, this year a Beach Ball, and raised another $30,000 for scholarships.
The money from the Sanborn estate is one of the five largest endowment fund donations ever received by the school, Northern Alumni Foundation Executive Director Jim Bennett said. At over two-thirds of a million dollars, Olive Carnahan Sanborn left 95 percent of her estate to Northern. She died in 2016.
The endowment will provide $20,000 a year to Montana residents seeking a degree in the education program.
In the press release, Chancellor Greg Kegel called the donation a "legacy gift."
"This endowment will allow MSU-Northern to help future teachers attain their degrees for generations to come," Kegel said.
Bennett said the scholarship fund will help address a shortage of qualified teachers in rural Montana towns.
"Having endowed scholarships like this, we can target kids in rural Montana who want to be teachers and return them to where they're from," he said.
On the heels of the announcement of the donation, the Northern Alumni Association held its Beach Ball fundraiser Saturday at the Armory Gymnasium.
Bennett said the initial goal of the event was to raise $20,000, but the event raised nearly $30,000, far surpassing the association's expectations.
The Northern Ball has been held for more than 30 years, Bennett said, and the money raised is used to provide $1,000 scholarships to students campuswide.
Bennett said the scholarships are flexible because few restrictions are included on who can receive them, meaning nearly every student has an opportunity to benefit from the funds raised at the Beach Ball.
Aside from raising funds, Bennett said this year's Beach Ball was an opportunity for people to have a good time and forget about winter.
"It went really well," he said. "It's fun to create an atmosphere where people feel like they can get away from the cold weather for a while."
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