Santa came a little early this year for the McDowell Technical Community College Foundation, with 55 individuals donating $8,710 in just 24 hours to the Foundation’s Endowment Fund during the college’s First Annual Day of Giving held in early November. All of these donations will support student scholarships.
“We join our voices with students who attended our second annual scholarship luncheon last month in thanking donors for their generosity of heart and spirit and their willingness to help our students continue their education in the face of financial hardships,” said Ryan Garrison, Interim President at McDowell Tech.
“We are especially proud to have 13 new donors among the 55 who gave to the Endowment Fund on our Day of Giving,” said Madalyn Gaito, Foundation Director and Director of Development at McDowell Tech. “We are thankful that they share our vision of breaking down barriers to an affordable education for all of our students, regardless of their ability to pay.”
According to Gaito, the college will receive matching funds from a U.S. Department of Education Title III Grant that will effectively double the $8,710 donated on the Annual Day of Giving to $17,420. These funds will be placed in the Foundation’s Endowment Fund to increase the number and amount of scholarships the Foundation is able to award each year.
Over the next three years, the college will receive matching funds from this grant up to an annual maximum, which is set at $80,000 for the year ending next October. Individuals, corporations or businesses may make donations to the Foundation throughout the year by visiting https://mcdowelltech.edu/foundation-mtcc/.
At the college’s Second Annual Scholarship Luncheon held on November 7th, the College and Foundation recognized many of the donors who make it possible for the college to provide scholarships to those in need. Sixty-eight people attended the event, including donors, students, faculty and staff. To date, the Foundation has established 18 named scholarships, and since July, the Foundation has awarded 27 scholarships totaling $39, 036.23 to assist students in completing their educational journey.
Caden Maynor, a recipient of the Dr. George C. Ellis Endowed Scholarship told the group of attendees at the luncheon what a blessing it was for him to receive the scholarship to continue his nursing education.
Lawrence Reel spoke on behalf of Route 70 Cruisers who have been long-time supporters of the college and donors to the Route 70 Scholarship Fund. Route 70 Cruisers provide much-needed assistance to many non-profit organizations throughout the year to assist them in helping those in need throughout McDowell County. While they have provided scholarship funds for many years, this year they funded two separate scholarship programs at the college, one for automotive technology students and the other for basic law enforcement students.
“Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been about giving and ‘thanks-‘giving, and on behalf of our Foundation Board and Board of Trustees, allow me to say thanks for the monetary gifts to our Foundation during this special season,” said Garrison, the Interim MTCC President. “These donations help us increase educational attainment in our community and build a stronger and more vibrant economy for our county, our state and our region. More importantly, it allows us to help students reach their educational goals and improve their socio-economic status and that of their families. To all who have given, thanks for making a difference!”
