Hopkinsville Community College celebrated and honored local recipients of the Purple Heart medal with a luncheon and ceremony Thursday afternoon.
Purple Heart recipients, veterans, students with Hopkinsville High School and Christian County High School’s JROTC programs and community members gathered together to honor those recipients, along with celebrate HCC’s designation as a Purple Heart College. The designation has been now years in the making, and Kentucky Purple Heart College Coordinator Irvin Lyons Jr. says HCC was the first to begin the process. He says his heart was full at the event, and he was encouraged to see so many young people, as they are the future of this country.
HCC President and CEO Dr. Alissa Young urged those same students to never stop learning, and to take the time to make a connection with a local veteran and learn from them.
Chief Advancement Officer Yvette Eastham announced that in a partnership between the college and the Hopkinsville Community College Foundation, they will begin offering $4,000 Purple Heart scholarships.
As part of the designation, HCC was granted signage denoting their Purple Heart College status, which will be placed at the entrances to the campus.