Charity Tea Party a success
By Deslyn A Joseph The Salvation Army announced that it exceeded its targeted amount on Sunday during a charity tea party to launch its new Student Scholarship Fund. Salvation Army Advisory Board Chair Sharon Brusch confirmed with Observer Media that the “Pathway to Purpose” fundraiser hit its financial target to help local students cover tuition […]
Black News 
By Deslyn A Joseph
The Salvation Army announced that it exceeded its targeted amount on Sunday during a charity tea party to launch its new Student Scholarship Fund.
Salvation Army Advisory Board Chair Sharon Brusch confirmed with Observer Media that the “Pathway to Purpose” fundraiser hit its financial target to help local students cover tuition costs. The event, hosted at the American University of Antigua (AUA) campus, received an overwhelming public response that will now allow organizers to establish the scholarship drive as a permanent annual fixture.
“We have achieved our target total,” Brusch told Observer Media. She explained that initial calculations indicate the event may have exceeded initial expectations, though final accounting figures are still being tallied by coordinators.
The financial success of the initiative highlights growing community support for targeted educational relief as rising tuition costs continue to place heavy financial strain on local families. By providing direct financial aid, the newly established fund aims to remove systemic economic barriers that frequently prevent qualified, low-income students from pursuing higher education or completing their degrees.
“So while we met our target, we won’t be reviewing applications as yet. This is only our first fundraiser; we need more funds before we invite applications. We will be hosting another fundraiser this year,” Brusch added.
A coalition of local corporate entities and private businesses backed the afternoon event, providing catering, media coverage and live entertainment to keep overhead costs low. Organizers emphasized that this private sector collaboration was instrumental in ensuring that maximum proceeds went directly toward student aid rather than administrative expenses.
Moving forward, the organization plans to integrate the tea party into its primary fundraising schedule as a signature annual event. Committee members are expected to begin reviewing student applications in the coming weeks to distribute the first round of financial awards for the upcoming academic year.
