Lou Crouch endows 3rd Law Enforcement scholarship at South Georgia Technical College

Lou Crouch of Bryon endowed a new South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) Law Enforcement Academy scholarship in memory of Peach County Sheriff’s Office Deputies Patrick Sondron and Daryl Smallwood. The two deputies died in the line of duty in November 2016. The first SGTC Sondron-Smallwood Law Enforcement Scholarship will be awarded at the South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy graduation in May 2017. This is the third scholarship that Crouch has endowed for the Law Enforcement Academy at South Georgia Technical College. He was a primary donor in establishing the Lt. Michael Sangster Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship at South Georgia Tech in 2012. Lt. Michael Sangster from Cordele, was a member of the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office and an adjunct instructor for the South Georgia Technical College Law Enforcement Academy. Crouch also endowed the Lou Crouch Law Enforcement Scholarship in 2013 to provide more assistance for outstanding students enrolled in the Law Enforcement Academy at South Georgia Technical College. A total of 23 Law Enforcement Academy cadets have benefited from Lou Crouch’s generosity over the past four years and students will continue to be impacted indefinitely through these three scholarship opportunities. Twelve Lt. Michael Sangster Scholarships have been awarded and 11 Lou Crouch Scholarship recipients have been recognized. “On behalf of the South Georgia Technical College Foundation and South Georgia Technical College, we would like to thank Lou Crouch for his support of South Georgia Technical College and our Law Enforcement Academy,” said SGTC President Dr. John Watford. “This scholarship as well as his two previous endowed scholarships will be a tremendous help to those young men and women who are training to become public servants and work as law enforcement officers here in Georgia.” South Georgia Technical College Academic Dean Vanessa Wall, who is over the Law Enforcement Academy, thanked Crouch for his support of the Law Enforcement Academy at South Georgia Tech. “This is just awesome what Lou Crouch has done in memory of these fine officers,” said Wall, who works with the SGTC Law Enforcement Academy program as well as the college’s Criminal Justice Program. “Lou Crouch is a unique individual who has a heart for Law Enforcement and it definitely shows through his support of these scholarships and through his work across the state.” “I have the opportunity to volunteer with law enforcement officers around the state and I am very grateful to them for their service and dedication. I am very pleased that I am able to give back to and help deserving law enforcement academy students at South Georgia Technical College,” said Crouch, when he endowed his latest scholarship. “Partnerships like this one and others are crucial to our success,” explained President Dr. Watford. “An investment in an endowed scholarship will continue to give back to students indefinitely. We appreciate what Lou Crouch and others are doing for our students and our state. The students he is helping today with these educational opportunities may be the public servants that we count on tomorrow in our local communities.” Lou Crouch, who volunteers as the publicist for the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), became involved in helping endow the Lt. Michael Sangster Law Enforcement Academy Scholarship at South Georgia Technical College after Vanessa Wall spoke to the GOHS West Central Traffic Enforcement Network Meeting, in Talbotton, Georgia, in 2012. “Mrs. Wall briefed the numerous law enforcement officers present at the meeting of the many opportunities available at South Georgia Technical College and specifically the South Georgia Tech Law Enforcement Academy,” explained Crouch. “She pointed out the advantages that South Georgia Technical College has to offer and I wanted to be a part of this effort.” For more information about making a donation or establishing an endowed scholarship at South Georgia Technical College contact Su Ann Bird, SGTC Foundation Executive Director at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu. Contributions may also be mailed to the SGTC Foundation, P.O. Box 6102, Americus, GA.