Doc Watson Student Emergency Fund

In honor of Doc Watson, Wilkes Community College and the Watson family have established the Doc Watson Student Emergency Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide emergency financial assistance to WCC students who are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses due to an unforeseen hardship or catastrophic event.

Priority will be given to students whose enrollment at WCC may be at risk due to the emergency and thus prevent them from continuing their studies at WCC. Use of these funds is not intended for assistance in routine expenses nor as a consistent supplement to a student’s education funding sources. Awards made from these funds do not have to be repaid. The maximum to be awarded per student, per semester is $1000.

To be eligible for consideration a student must:

Contact a staff member from Resource Connections to complete an application.
Have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
Be enrolled at least part-time for the academic semester. Students who are taking all available courses remaining to finish a credential but are less than part-time may qualify.
Be making satisfactory academic progress and not had excessive absences as prescribed in their course syllabi.
Provide sufficient documentation of financial hardship such as a bill or impending loss statement (examples: utility bill, car repair estimate, eviction notice, medical bill).
Have investigated applicable community resources.
Have not received Doc Watson Fund awards exceeding $1000 per semester.

For additional information or to begin the application process, students should contact a staff member from Resource Connections.