A Doña Ana County Sheriff’s deputy has started a campaign to raise scholarship money for local high school and college students with a physical promise: for every $10 raised, he will do 10 push-ups.
The fundraiser – sponsored by Pi Nu Sigma Alumni Chapter, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department – officially started Thursday, raising almost $200 among Doña Ana County employees the first day.
“My goal is to raise $2,000,” said Deputy Jamar Cotton. “And I’m giving myself until May 1 to get it done.”
Seventy percent of the proceeds will be awarded equally to one qualified high school student and one college student. Thirty percent will go to Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, a community service organization which plans to donate 20 percent to other charitable organizations.
The remaining 10 percent will stay in the local chapter of Phi Beta Sigma.
Phi Beta Sigma supports causes like the Muscular Dystrophy Association, American Cancer Society, the March of Dimes, I Am My Brother’s Keeper, Dress for Success, HIV awareness campaigns and Teen Retreat, an event for kids between the ages of 12 and 17. Teen Retreat offers education on teen pregnancy prevention, gang-resistance awareness, college application assistance and career/resume coaching.
Cotton has been with the sheriff’s department since 2010. He joined Phi Beta Sigma in 2006 as a college student, and served as a charter member of the alumni chapter of the fraternity in 2010. He currently holds two degrees from New Mexico State University, a bachelor’s in early childhood education and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction.
Donations can be made in person at the Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Department, 845 N. Motel Boulevard or online via PayPal to alumnichapter.lcpbs1914@gmail.com. For more information on Phi Beta Sigma, visit www.pbs1914.org.
Information from Doña Ana County