SANFORD - A Poker Run in North Myrtle Beach is helping to provide scholarships for motorcycle mechanics students at Central Carolina Community College.

The Sept. 30 Run honored the memory of Michael Delamere, who was an avid Harley-Davidson motorcycle enthusiast. He died in a motorcycle accident on Highway 17 in 2007.

Michael and his brother, Chris Delamere, grew up in Sanford and attended Lee County High School. Michael served in the U.S. Marine Corps and had played rugby for East Carolina University.

Michael's mother, Loretta Delamere, established the Michael Delamere Memorial Scholarship with the CCCC Foundation in 2009 to benefit the college's motorcycle mechanics students. Loretta now resides in Calabash, but each year she raises money to support the scholarship.

The Poker Run was organized by Kris Tourtellotte, a Vietnam veteran who founded and runs Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center in Little River, S.C. Other friends, veterans of war and bikers participated in the Poker Run, including CCCC lead motorcycle mechanics instructor Wayne Graham and instructor Stan Thompson.

The CCCC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization affiliated with, but independent of the college. It receives donations of money and equipment on behalf of CCCC and uses them to promote the educational mission of the college and assist students through scholarships and grants.

For information on establishing scholarships or endowments, contact CCCC Foundation Executive Director Diane Glover, 919-718-7231 or dglover@cccc.edu, or Associate Director Emily Hare, 919-718-7230 or ehare@cccc.edu. To apply for a scholarship, contact the CCCC Financial Aid Office, 919-718-7229.