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Black Diamond harley Davidson Announces Unique Scholarship Effort 5/4/09
 MARION - Black Diamond Harley-Davidson announced today that it would be providing scholarship money to graduating seniors at more than 40 southern Illinois high schools.
"The entire nation is facing hard times right now and we realize that some families would not be able to send their children to college without financial assistance," said Rodney Cabaness, co-owner of the Black Diamond. "We simply believe education is important and we hope the money we are able to provide will give a boost to help a graduating senior continue their education."
Said Cabaness, "Southern Illinois and our customers have been incredibly good to us and the opportunity to give back to the communities that support us is something we felt compelled to do."
Cabaness met with Guy Alongi, chairman of the Illinois Community College Board, on Thursday and outlined a plan to donate the scholarship money directly to the foundations of four community colleges in southern Illinois. High school seniors granted a scholarship would have to attend the community college in their district.
"I am so pleased that when Mr. Cabaness considered giving scholarship money, he thought about community colleges first," Alongi said. "To donate money that will benefit a high school senior in 44 different high schools is a very unique effort."
Cabaness said he also hopes community colleges would consider matching his scholarship offer, which is $500 to each high school. By matching Black Diamond's amount, a graduate from each high school would receive $1,000.
"By showing our support for community colleges, we've asked community colleges to show support for our scholarship effort," Cabaness said. (Community colleges receiving money will be John A. Logan College, Rend Lake College, Shawnee Community College, and Southeastern Illinois College.)
In addition to showing support to the region's community colleges, Cabaness said Black Diamond would also encourage scholarship recipients to sign up with Southern Illinois University Carbondale's "Two-Plus-Two" program that allows the university to track a student's progress from community college to the university.
Cabaness said an announcement with college presidents, high school superintendents, and officials from SIUC is being planned. He said he is also working to complete the criteria necessary to obtain the scholarship.
"We have a few details to complete, but we will make this money available before the end of the school year so that high school graduates can take advantage of it," Cabaness noted.
Dr. Larry Peterson, president of Shawnee Community College in Ullin, said the money will be a huge boost for college-bound students in Shawnee's college district, with some of the most impoverished areas in the state. But, he said, it is not just about the money.
"A private-public partnership with a business in these economic times is a breath of fresh air when about all the news on the economy is bad," Peterson said. "Black Diamond has to be commended."
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