Pahrump MLK Scholarship Foundation’s Summer Tea raises thousands for student scholarships.

“The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.”

The words Martin Luther King Jr. penned in his essay, “The Purpose of Education”, have been a source of inspiration for nearly eight decades and for the Pahrump MLK Scholarship Foundation, honoring his legacy of educational advocacy is the mission. Through its yearly scholarship program, this local nonprofit provides graduating students with a financial boost to help as they pursue higher education and the push to bring in funds for the class of 2027 has officially begun.

On Sunday, August 30, the MLK Scholarship Foundation hosted its inaugural Summer Tea at the Pahrump Senior Center and with a packed crowd and plenty of enthusiasm in the air, it was an event that left everyone involved glowing with delight.

“I think things went very well overall. We sold out the building!” MLK Scholarship Foundation President Saundra Fisher told the Pahrump Valley Times afterward. “As you know, this was led by Kathleen O’Connor and she did an amazing job. She put everything together so well, she just did outstandingly. I’ve gotten a lot of emails and tagged in lots of pictures and last night, I had my Soroptimist meeting and everyone there said they had a great time. I thought it was wonderful, for our first-ever tea.

“And we had so many volunteers who helped,” she added. “Scott Oakley brought his son, there were kids from the Key Club, children and grandchildren of members of the DAV [Disabled American Veterans Chapter #15] and some other young ladies and gentlemen who all helped serve food and they were such excellent hosts and hostesses. We had the Cinderella Girls and Miss Pahrump court there – they were very helpful as our impartial ticket-pullers for the raffles. Stephanie Hashimura was instrumental in helping figure out some of the details on how to organize a fancy tea. Leslie Molenda came to decorate, she helped fix the food, she stayed to clean up after, she just did so much. It was just a lot of support from the community.”

Fisher said the idea to host the MLK Scholarship Foundation’s first Summer Tea came about as a result of the group foregoing its annual All People’s Luncheon in January, a decision made due to reorganization that was taking place within the group.

“We took the first part of the year to really start to reorganize ourselves and refine what our vision is. So, this tea actually replaced the luncheon for this year but it will likely be an annual event from this point on, because it was so successful,” Fisher detailed. “We probably had over 100 people there and we haven’t finished paying all the bills yet but we raised about $4,200!”

Fisher explained that the bulk of the funds raised at any MLK Scholarship Foundation event goes, of course, toward furnishing scholarships for graduating high school seniors but that is not all this organization does. A small portion is also reserved for contributions to other causes and nonprofits, such as the cleaning of the chairs at the Pahrump Senior Center this past August.

“Our goal is to raise $20,000 for scholarships for the 2027 graduates and to be able to also help a local organization every time we host a fundraiser. And even when we’re not hosting a fundraiser, we still want to be able to contribute in some way, either by our presence or by making a financial donation,” Fisher explained. “This time, we wanted to bring attention to the senior center because I think it’s very important for the community. I just thought that would be a great place to have the tea. And they were gracious enough to allow us to have it there without cost, because we had their chairs cleaned for them.”

The entire event was fantastic but Fisher said two things in particular really stood out to her – the immense support shown by so many and a real-world example of what programs like the MLK Scholarship Foundation can do for a community.

“It was amazing that all of these community organizations came together for this,” Fisher said. “We had the Soroptimist International Pahrump Valley and they were responsible for sponsoring the Miss Pahrump royal court, so they could attend for free. We had Judge Kim Wanker, who was the winner of our table decorating contest, the Classy Rhythmettes, who won second in the contest and Scott Oakley, who won third. Then we had Ms. Senior Golden Years, the DAV had two tables, the Nye County Dems had a table, the Cinderella Girls were there, the Indivisible Prickly Pears and Kathleen O’Connor bought a table for what I call the ‘Casita Ladies’. And then Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Pahrump Holiday Task Force and Desert Delights all purchased a table together. I thought, whoa, that is really neat! So, I think it was the heart of the community that I appreciated most.

“We also had a young lady in attendance, Toni Smith, who had actually received one of our scholarships in the past and she is now a nurse in our community,” Fisher continued. “And I thought that was really cool to see – she went away to school, got her degree and then came back to serve the community. It was full circle, showing the benefits of what we’re doing.”

As the MLK Scholarship Foundation looks toward the coming months, Fisher is taking the lead on the group’s next event, a Sock Hop fundraiser at the Pahrump Moose Lodge, set for October 24 at 3 p.m.

“Admission is free and it’s by donation only. We’ll be doing all of the things we usually do, raffles, food, all that. We’ll also have a live auction headed by Col. Patrick Nary, we’ll have a dance contest, our DJ is Teri Rogers with Ms. Senior Golden Years. The Classy Rhythmettes, the Golden Glams and the first runner-up for Ms. Senior Golden Years 2026, Nancy Simonsen, will be our performers. And we hope it will turn out well and mainly, that everyone has a good time.”

For more information on the MLK Scholarship Foundation, email PahrumpMLK@gmail.com or call Fisher at 775-990-2039 and leave a message.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com