Raines Scholarship Assists Deserving Student

When Stephanie Sanders, a junior, learned that she was the 2010 recipient of the Warner J. and Pearl T. Raines Endowed Scholarship for Education, the holistic child major was relieved.

Sanders, whose mother died last fall, wondered how she was going to pay for her tuition before she was named the recipient. “This scholarship helped me pay the rest of what I owed, which helped me worry less about how to stay at Mercer and more about my academics,” Sanders said.

This is why Warner and Pearl Raines, both graduates of the College of Liberal Arts, established three scholarships in the Tift College of Education. The couple spent a collective 56 years working in Georgia’s public schools. They believe training future educators is important, and their gifts to Mercer help ensure that education students receive the best instruction possible. “Mercer is responsible for my training, and I’ll always be grateful for that,” Warner said. “I feel like I should give something back to Mercer, and I wish more alumni would give. People think you have to give thousands of dollars, but you don’t.” The couple also endowed the Donald C. Raines Endowed Scholarship for Pharmacy, named for Warner’s brother, in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Sanders said she has a greater appreciation for alumni who give to the University. “After graduating, I plan on making a gift to Mercer, because if it weren’t for the Raines, I would still be worried about how to pay for my education,” Sanders said. “They helped me greatly, and I would like to do the same for someone else.”

Gifts to Mercer have the power to change the lives of current students. For more information about contributing to the Warner J. and Pearl T. Raines Endowed Scholarship for Education or to establish a scholarship in honor or in memory of someone, contact the Office of University Advancement at (800) 837-2911.

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