RCC Foundation grants $125,000 to support urgent needs  

by | Feb 5, 2021 | Uncategorized

 

The Rogue Community College Foundation announces a grant of $125,000 to support three of the College’s most urgent needs. The one-time donation will support RCC workforce training programs in construction and truck driving, and replenish an emergency fund for students facing financial hardship.

 

The RCC Foundation Board on Jan. 26 voted to donate $50,000 to jump-start development of a short-term program to train workers for the construction industry; $50,000 to support the RCC Commercial Truck Driving program; and $25,000 to replenish the RCC Student Emergency Fund.

 

“The RCC Foundation Board enthusiastically supported this donation to help the College respond to urgent community needs for construction workers, truck drivers and to replenish student emergency funds,” said Judy Basker, RCC Foundation executive director. “We are grateful to be in a position to make this gift to support RCC, thanks to the generosity of our donors.”

 

Industry partners have indicated an urgent need in Southern Oregon for skilled workers in construction and trucking, Basker said.

 

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation raised $75,000 in 2020 to establish a Student Emergency Fund to help students facing financial hardship pay for education and living expenses. Upon learning those funds were recently depleted, the Foundation Board agreed to replenish the fund with an additional grant of $25,000.

 

“We are seeing student needs that are, frankly, unimaginable,” one RCC staff member wrote in a thank-you letter to the Foundation. “The COVID-19 pandemic and the wildfires have wreaked havoc on students’ abilities to pay for the most basic of food, housing, and transportation needs, much less the additional costs of attending college and getting their education. And yet – we see students fighting to stay engaged, stay enrolled, and finish their education, despite these challenges. … [H]aving additional funds to support our students brings a feeling of gratitude and relief. I know that our students feel similarly when we have the ability to support them and their goals for success. THANK YOU!! Thank you so much!”

 

The RCC Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to serve the needs of Rogue Community College and RCC students. The Foundation manages more than $13 million in assets and awards nearly $500,000 annually in scholarships to RCC students as well as $30,000 in special project grants to faculty and staff.

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