This artist and aspiring animator is 'really grateful' for KLM Scholarship: 'It's a great help for my family'

RICHMOND, Va. — The KLM Scholarship Foundation, which has awarded over half a million dollars in scholarships, is hosting its annual KLM Black and White Affair benefit on Saturday, April 5 at the Marriott Hotel Downtown.

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Timothy Jackson Daniel, a junior studying communication arts and animation at Virginia Commonwealth University, is one of the students who has benefited from the foundation's support.

“I'm really grateful for all of her help and setting up the organization and giving me all the help I received so far for the scholarship. I really appreciate everything she's done so far,” Daniel said.

The scholarship has allowed Daniel to focus on his studies without the added stress of purchasing art supplies and textbooks.

“It is definitely a great help for my family to not have to directly pay for all my related art supplies," he said. "So having that additional money in savings helps a lot to afford all of that."

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Kimberly L. Martin, the founder of the KLM Scholarship Foundation, explained that the organization provides book scholarships for Virginia college students.

“We started over 20 years ago. There are very few organizations that provided book scholarships, and we filled that gap," Martin said. "As of today, we've given over half a million dollars, and we're looking forward to hitting that million-dollar mark."

This year, the foundation aims to raise $50,000 to help at least 50 students pay for college. To fund the initiative, Martin and her volunteers organized the Black and White Affair, now in its 15th year.

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“We have live entertainment, DJ Drake, food, dancing, and free lottery tickets from the Virginia lottery. It’s just going to be a wonderful night,” Martin said.

The attire for the event will include black and white with a touch of pale pink. Martin noted that there will be a contest for the best pink accessories.

The event will kick off at 7 p.m., and CBS 6’s Shelby Brown will serve as the emcee. For those unable to attend, donations can still be made through the KLM Scholarship Foundation’s website.

“No donation is too small, and we welcome all donations of all sizes,” Martin said.

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