Jack and Nell Hatcher

Jack and Nell Hatcher’s connection to Sandhills Community College began in the early 1990’s when they reached out to a young man who was working for them helping to tend their yard at their home in Pinehurst. He was struggling to make ends meet, and the Hatchers asked him if there was any way they could help him, and he said he was trying to complete his Turf Management degree at Sandhills Community College. The Hatchers offered to help sponsor him, and he became the first of many others who would benefit from the Hatcher’s generosity through the Sandhills Community College Scholarship Program. The Hatchers still see him often as he works for the course superintendent at CCNC helping to oversee the club’s two courses.

The Hatchers said that it was amazing how just a little help could change a student’s life. Nell recounted a story that she said was a very moving experience. She learned from a member of the Sandhills staff about two Culinary Arts students who were at risk of dropping out because they were having a hard time paying for their final semester. Jack and Nell have passed their passion for philanthropy and education on to their children, and upon hearing the story of the students in need their daughter Hayley offered to help with the students’ expenses. At a dinner on campus later that year, Hayley was thanked by the two teary eyed students. Nell said that there was no doubt those students’ lives were changed by Hayley’s gift.

A relatively small amount of money can make an immense difference—that is what has always impressed the Hatcher family the most when giving to scholarships for students at Sandhills Community College. In addition to the named scholarships the Hatchers have established, they have also been very generous supporters of the SCC Guarantors Program. They believe strongly in the importance of a quality education in both changing people’s lives and improving the community where they live.

The Mike McBride Scholarship is named in honor of a dear friend of the Hatchers who died of cancer at the age of 53. The Hatcher Family Scholarships are named after Jack and Nell’s four children, Tere, Barbara, Jack, Jr., and Hayley, as well as for Nell herself. The Hatcher Family Endowed Scholarships and Mike McBride Endowed Scholarship are awarded annually to deserving students enrolling full-time in any degree program. Selection is based on merit, need and potential for success. Students may receive the scholarship for a second year if qualified.