*******************************PHOTO/MEDIA OPPORTUNITY*****************************
 
WHO:       Padre Island Business Association President Kim Irwin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi President Flavius Killebrew
 
WHAT:     Announcement of Scholarship Endowment
 
WHEN:     Thursday, May 11, at noon
 
WHERE:    Padre Isles Country Club, 14353 Commodores Drive  

Padre Island Business Association Establishes Endowment for Residents Attending Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

The Padre Island Business Association (PIBA) will present Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi President Flavius Killebrew with a check establishing a scholarship endowment on Thursday, May 11, at noon at the Padre Isles Country Club.

The PIBA scholarship endowment will provide scholarships to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi for undergraduate and graduate students who are residents of the Island or employees of Island businesses. The Association will contribute annually to the Padre Island Business Association Endowment, which will provide an annual scholarship of $3,000 beginning in fall 2006. Funds raised from two events, “Taste of the Island” and “Padre Island Wine Festival” will directly benefit the PIBA Endowment.

“Our association is pleased to have this opportunity to help improve the educational opportunities for those who live and work on the island,” said PIBA President Kim Irwin. “This is just another means by which our island community is banding together to help grow the local economy and show others the generous spirit of island residents.”

 Killebrew added that community partnerships are crucial to the University’s success. “We are pleased the Padre Island Business Association has joined with the University during this critical period of expansion,” he said. “By establishing this scholarship endowment, the PIBA has demonstrated that our community is supportive of the wonderful educational opportunities available at A&M-Corpus Christi.”