{"id":965,"date":"2016-11-07T20:35:09","date_gmt":"2016-11-07T20:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=965"},"modified":"2016-11-07T20:35:09","modified_gmt":"2016-11-07T20:35:09","slug":"tstc-noche-de-gala-honoree-ruthie-ewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/?p=965","title":{"rendered":"TSTC Noche de Gala Honoree Ruthie Ewers"},"content":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Ruthie Ewers, a distinguished businesswoman, and philanthropist in Harlingen, is this year\u2019s honoree for Texas State Technical College\u2019s 12th<\/sup> Annual Noche de Gala <\/em>Scholarship Fundraiser.<\/p>\n

Ewers was chosen by TSTC\u2019s Foundation to celebrate her efforts and commitment to the college. It is one of her life\u2019s missions to help students fulfill their dreams of a college education.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf someone gave me a list of boards to join my number one pick would have to do with helping youth,\u201d said Ewers. \u201cI only join a board if I know I\u2019ll be an asset. I worry about the future, about my grandkids and great-grand kids\u2019 futures, and I if I can help youth down here, then I\u2019ve done my part to ensure a good future for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Christened the \u201cEnergizer Bunny\u201d by Harlingen Mayor Chris Boswell, Ewers has served on more than 20 boards, including TSTC\u2019s Scholarship Steering Committee, working diligently to raise money for the college\u2019s Texas Success Scholarship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been actively involved with TSTC for several years and I\u2019ve seen the type of professionals the college is turning out. I love it,\u201d said Ewers. \u201cI want to be a part of that. This is something good I believe in and I want to help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ewers\u2019 work with TSTC began nearly five years ago as a judge for the Mr. and Ms. TSTC Scholarship Competitions, and continues with her work on the Scholarship Steering Committee and as a mentor during interview practicum, assisting soon-to-be TSTC graduates with their resumes and job interviewing skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many aspects of TSTC Ruthie has touched and I can think of no better person to honor this year,\u201d said Amy Lynch, TSTC senior development officer. \u201cShe is a donor and has helped us raise funds for scholarships, and even helped students get jobs. \"Ruthie<\/a>She is someone who has made an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lynch calls Ewers a dynamic person whose time on many organizations has positively affected social and civil projects, and education.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis city would not be same without her,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ewers credits her work ethic and perseverance to growing up on a farm. Born in 1940 in Oklahoma, she helped her parents raise cattle, grow and harvest wheat, and cook for all of the ranch hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked my whole life. I know nothing but,\u201d said Ewers. \u201cI guess you could say I\u2019ve always been an overachiever.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 21, with two sons, Ewers took a job at $1.15 an hour putting labels on mail for a distribution company, getting her first taste of the business and immediately receiving a promotion as the company\u2019s manager. Fast forward to 1974, Ewers had enough knowledge and business sense to open up a mailing company with her husband and a business partner.<\/p>\n

Ewers\u2019 business, LEE Data Mail, later to be called LEE Marketing, focused on door-to-door distribution (hand delivery) and direct mail services. By 1997, it had become a $25 million-a-year company and her team was known as pioneers in the mailing industry.<\/p>\n

Although the company was sold to the Omaha World Herald (OWH), a newspaper owned by Warren Buffett\u2019s holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc., it was recently recognized with a permanent exhibit at the National Postal Museum, established by the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough all of this there were times we had to choose between our home and food,\u201d said Ewers. \u201cWe knew difficult times, but were blessed to have been given a chance and luckily we found success, and now it\u2019s my turn to help those who need help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ewers said she feels like a lucky lady and all she wants to do is give the citizens from Harlingen, from youth to elderly, a better life. She is humbled by the honor that TSTC has bestowed on her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy motto is everything happens for a reason,\u201d said Ewers. \u201cI feel like I\u2019ve won an academy award. I\u2019ve never considered myself a leader, yet this honor is given to leaders. I\u2019ve just always found it important to serve my community in any way I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ewers joins a long list of distinguished gala honorees including David Allex; Senator Eddie Lucio; Jo Rae Wagner; Manny Vela; Ruben Hinojosa; Frank Boggus; former Harlingen Mayor Bill Card; Arthur and Leona Everson; Connie de la Garza; and Joe and Teresa Long.<\/p>\n

To sponsor a table or purchase tickets to the 2016 Noche de Gala<\/em>, contact Valeri Smith at valeri.smith@tstc.edu<\/a>, or for more information contact Lynch at 956-364-4500 or at amy.lynch@tstc.edu<\/a>, or visit tstc.edu\/harlingen\/gala.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(HARLINGEN) – Ruthie Ewers, a distinguished businesswoman, and philanthropist in Harlingen, is this year\u2019s honoree for Texas State Technical College\u2019s 12th Annual Noche de Gala Scholarship Fundraiser. Ewers was chosen by TSTC\u2019s Foundation to celebrate her efforts and commitment to the college. It is one of her life\u2019s missions to help students fulfill their dreams […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-harlingen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=965"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":968,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/965\/revisions\/968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.tstc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}