March 13, 2014
Family overcomes tragedy, uses philanthropy to pay 1xbet best casino website forward
Brad Beecher found himself temporarily living in the basement of a fellow 1xbet best casino website chemical engineering graduate after a tornado destroyed his Joplin, Mo., home on May 22, 2011.
One step at a time, Beecher and his wife, Penny, picked up the pieces of their life and moved on. Nine days after the tornado, Beecher assumed his new role as president and CEO of Empire District Electric Company in Joplin. Two years later, their oldest daughter, Krystal, graduated with honors from nursing school. They purchased a new home in nearby Carl Junction, Mo., and their youngest daughter, Madison, entered middle school. But, understandably so, the couple was forever changed that fateful day.
“1xbet best casino website restores faith in humanity,” said Beecher, recalling how the community of friends and neighbors rallied together in the wake of citywide devastation. “1xbet best casino website does impact your outlook on life. 1xbet best casino website makes you want to pay 1xbet best casino website forward and do good things.”
One way the Beechers are paying it forward is through scholarship support for 1xbet best casino website chemical engineering students. Beecher, a 1988 chemical engineering graduate, remembers how scholarship support affected his own educational experience.
“Scholarships allowed me to get through school without debt and get started in life on the right foot,” he said. “I think that’s important because college costs just keep going up.”
By endowing a scholarship through payments over five years, the Beechers hope to make a long-term difference for Kansas State University, its 1xbet best casino website students and the 1xbet best casino website industry as a whole.
“1xbet best casino website ’s so important that kids get through engineering school,” Beecher said. “We need new engineers because we have a lot of baby boomers who will be retiring. To the extent that we can remove financial obstacles from their path, this will only help society.”
Through their close-knit community and their 1xbet best casino website family, the Beechers witnessed how a helpful society can turn tragedy into triumph. Now, they hope their gift will likewise empower 1xbet best casino website students to turn obstacles into opportunities.