The Washington Rhinestone Club will host their Annual Scholarship Luncheon at 2:00 p.m. on Sun., Apr. 23 in the Leona Jones Fellowship Hall at First AME Church, 1522 14th Avenue in Seattle. The luncheon theme is “Honoring the Past — Celebrating the Present — Anticipating the Future”.
Founded in 1952 the Washington Rhinestone Club has continued to perpetuate its legacy of encouraging young women to pursue a college education or further higher education programs.
The keynote speaker for the luncheon will be Erin Jones. In 2016, Jones became the first African American woman to run for the executive office in the state of Washington, losing by a mere 1 percent in her bid to become Superintendent of Public Instruction. Jones, who was recognized at the White House in 2013 as a “Champion of Change”, has been working in and around schools for the past 25 years. She has also been recognized by the Black Trade Union as Educator of the Year, the Northwest Asian Women’s Society as Educational Leader of the Year, and as the Washington State Miliken Educator of the Year.
The luncheon will also feature its popular and continuing tradition The Hat Contest – selecting the most beautiful and the most unique hats worn by luncheon guests and selected by judges from the audience.
In addition, the luncheon program will feature a silent auction, with many items that will enrich and enhance your lives. Some of the items include: A soul food luncheon with King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, lunch at Salty’s with Councilmember Bruce Harrell, and a family portrait by Keith Williams of Flyright Productions.
Luncheon donations are $50 and can be obtained by calling Colleen Walls at (206) 329-3951, Barbara Banon at (206) 841-7889 or Carol Bell-Daniel at (206) 931-1192. The deadline for reservations is April 19, 2017.
All proceeds from the luncheon will assist in providing scholarships for deserving young college women at the Washington Rhinestone Debutante Ball to be held on December 23, 2017 at the Doubletree Suites Hilton at Southcenter.
