A $60,000 grant to Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Michigan means youth attending the college’s summer camp may receive new laptops and family digital literacy training.
WCC at Parkridge Community Center, where the summer camp is hosted, will serve as a technology support resource for student and community learning. Each student camper will be eligible to receive laptops when they and their family members attend basic computer skills training at the center.
The Washtenaw County Youth Development grant ushers in a new focus on teaching, connecting underserved youth and parents with technology, and bridging the gap in essential digital literacy skills.
“Our programming efforts have shown a big need for basic digital literacy skills both for children in school and for adults in the workplace,” WCC President Rose Bellanca said at a ceremony celebrating the last day of the Summer Learning Experience camp. She was joined at the ceremony by state lawmakers Sen. Jeff Irwin and Rep. Ronnie Peterson, who helped secure the grant.
WCC also received funding from other resources totaling $130,000 which supports training and programs to boost academic and career readiness.
* * *
Also in Michigan, Oakland Community College’s foundation raised $240,910 through its annual The Garden Party (TGP) fundraising event. That’s the highest amount in the history of TGP in spite of not holding the event. The Garden Party Foundation committed $100,000 as a dollar-for-dollar challenge match and sponsors and donors contributed $140,910 in response.
The money raised provides professional trade scholarships to disadvantaged young adults. The OCC Foundation has awarded more than 650 TGP scholarships to more than 450 students since the first event in 2009.
One scholarship recipient is Nelson McDonald. During the pandemic, he lost his job, apartment and car. With the help of The Garden Party Vocational Scholarship, he was able to continue taking classes at OCC and pursue an associate degree in computer information systems.
“This scholarship is truly a blessing for me,” McDonald said. “The scholarship not only will help me financially but helps solidify in my mind and to my peers that dedication and sticking to your goals can help create great opportunities for us. That even when you are at your lowest, when people give you a chance you can succeed.”
Arizona
In late spring, a retired couple who would like to remain anonymous got in touch with Northland Pioneer College (NPC) Friends and Family, the nonprofit organization which raises funds for NPC student scholarships. The couple wanted to explore how they could help NPC’s Native American students. They learned about NPC Friends and Family through their estate-planning attorney.
The couple recognized that a huge barrier for many NPC students is distance. The result was an initial endowment of $100,000 to fund the AndyVon Transportation Grant for Native American Students at NPC. The gift will provide $1,000 to each student who qualifies.
“There is great good in this world,” said Betsaynn Wilson, executive director of NPC Friends and Family. “There are people out there like this pair of angels, who literally materialize to help solve seemingly insurmountable problems, just because they care, and they can. It is something quite like a miracle. Imagine a world full of angels like this, who care, and who can, and who do.”
California
Chaffey College and National CORE are partnering to launch the CORE Academy with the help of $1 million in state funding. The new workforce development initiative will help low-income workers gain access to employment training programs.
National CORE – or National Community Renaissance – is a nonprofit developer of affordable housing. Residents of the affordable housing communities, along with other local low-income residents, can tap training programs such as property management and maintenance services.
* * *
The San Diego Community College District (SDCCD) has received $25,000 from The Conrad Prebys Foundation for the San Diego Promise program.
The Promise program allows students at San Diego City, Mesa and Miramar colleges to attend tuition-free. More than 4,000 SCCCD students are expected to enroll in the program this fall.
Colorado
Front Range Community College’s (FRCC’s) optics technology program will receive a funding boost as part of a $34 million U.S. Department of Defense grant program. The grant aims to create a nationwide network to attract and train a specialized workforce for the optics industry.
FRCC’s new optics technology program is the only such program in Colorado. The exact amount of funding FRCC will receive for the program is not yet known, but that funding is earmarked for new equipment for the optics technology classroom and laboratory at its Center for Integrated Manufacturing.
“The optics industry — both locally and nationally — is in desperate need of skilled workers,” said Amanda Meier, director and lead faculty member of FRCC’s optics program. “Right now, we have more employers coming to the program looking for employees than we have students graduating.”
New Jersey
Warren Community College’s nationally recognized unmanned systems program is about to get a big boost. The college will receive $1.5 million in state funding to renovate and expand its space at the Phillipsburg Education Center in support of the drone program.
When completed, Warren can more than quadruple the size of the program as enrollment demands increase. The college also will enhance its outreach to public service agencies, as well local hospitals, the county and law enforcement — all of which use skilled drone operators.
“This grant in essence allows us to prepare for the future in a field that has boundless potential,” said Warren President Will Austin, who is also the chief pilot operator. “Already, our students have benefited from the program in myriad ways, and we anticipate that this is really just the beginning. The expansion will allow us to grow as more and more people will want to get into this field.”
Through the grant, the college ultimately is looking to create a center of excellence that would also include expanded labs to accommodate work with unmanned ground and sea vehicles and a robotics classroom.
Warren was one of nine community colleges in the state approved for a Securing Our Children’s Future Bond Act grant.
Ohio
Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) will use a $600,000 grant from Bank of America to help scale its Adult Diploma Program, which focuses on career exploration, essential workplace skills and job placement. The program prepares graduates for in-demand careers such as administration, healthcare and food services.
Since 2016, 630 students have enrolled in the program, with 295 completing it.
The grant will help Tri-C increase enrollment and completion rates by enhancing career coaching efforts, improving access to workforce credentials and removing barriers to continuing education, including lack of access to technology, transportation and childcare.
The grant is part of Bank of America’s newly expanded $1.25 billion, five-year commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity.
“Our collaboration with Tri-C will strategically focus on advancing economic opportunity for those across Northeast Ohio by providing access to the resources needed by Black and Hispanic-Latino individuals to improve their job prospects, build stronger careers and a more successful future,” Jeneen Marziani, president of Bank of America Ohio, said in a statement.
Pennsylvania
A golf outing this month raised $115,000 for the Butler County Community College (BC3) Education Foundation. That’s the most money raised in the fundraiser’s 26-year history.
The outing attracted 29 teams representing six western Pennsylvania counties. Since 1996, the event has raised a total of more than $1.2 million in unrestricted funds to support scholarships and opportunities beyond the classroom at BC3.
“When I make my rounds and talk to folks, it’s very interesting for me to see all the different types of connections that are represented at the golf outing,” said BC3 President Nick Neupauer. “The diversity of those teams correlates to all the different collaborations and partnerships that we have. It speaks to who we are as a community college.”
Farmers National Bank of Emlenton served as the event’s title sponsor for the 11th consecutive year. Nearly 30 other businesses or individuals sponsored the event.
