Cowboy Spirit: Battle of the Bands 2009
OSU Students Host Concert to Fund Scholarships
Cowboy Spirit campaign raises more than $16,000 for scholarship Fund
(STILLWATER, Okla., April 2009) It’s not every Friday night Oklahoma State University students get an opportunity to make a difference in the future of their university and the lives of their peers. But on April 17, they had a chance to do just that by participating in “Cowboy Spirit: Battle of the Bands 2009” at Tumbleweed.
Battle of the Bands 2009 continued the Cowboy Spirit tradition, educating the campus about philanthropy and raising more than $16,000. About 300 people attended the concert at Tumbleweed, which featured six local bands: Another Round, Bo Phillips Band, Mitch Hull Band, My Solstice, the Nightlife and Two Steps Back. Bo Phillips Band won the competition and left with the grand prize package including a $500 amplifier, donated by Stillwater National Bank; an additional hour of playing time at the concert; and an invitation to play at Tumbleweed's College Fest.
All concert proceeds were directed to the Cowboy Spirit Scholarship Fund.
“I think in times like these, anything we can do to help out those around us makes a huge difference,” said Caroline Diedrich, industrial engineering and management senior and OSU Student Foundation president. “This campaign is all about educating students about philanthropy and giving them an event that’s fun at the same time.”
Cowboy Spirit is an annual scholarship campaign that began in 2008. Last year, the OSU Student Foundation raised more than $4,200, which was donated to its student-endowed scholarship fund, providing four scholarships this spring. Jill Holzbauer, English senior, is one of the Cowboy Spirit Scholarship recipients.
“Receiving this scholarship helped me a lot just when I really needed it,” Holzbauer said. “Because this is my fifth year, I lost other scholarships that lasted four years. This scholarship has allowed me to cut back my hours at work and to focus on my classes during my last semester at OSU.”
The OSU Student Foundation was created in 2007 as the student arm of the Oklahoma State University Foundation. Its purpose is to serve Oklahoma State University by building, cultivating and sustaning relationships within the OSU community and to educate the student body about the impact and importance of charitable giving.