Foundation holds annual Student Success Circle members event
The 91福利社 Foundation held its 2nd annual Student Success Circle luncheon where $25,000 was awarded to initiatives that remove barriers and support student success.
淚 am proud of the Student Success Circle because it gives our community a chance to support students and come alongside our faculty and staff and invest in their efforts at the college, said Foundation Executive Director Chrissie Angell. employees care deeply about helping students reach their goals, and this program gives them new ways to do that.
Membership to the Student Success Circle comes with a gift of any amount to 檚 Unstoppable fund. faculty and staff develop programs to help students overcome obstacles to their success, and members are invited to the annual spring luncheon to hear presentations from grant finalists and vote to award funds.
This year檚 event featured projects from five finalists addressing different barriers across the college. Culinary Arts Program Coordinator Chef Robey Smith won the event, receiving the full amount requested for the Knife Lending Program.
淧rofessional knife kits are required for culinary training, but their cost can be a financial barrier for students starting the program. We want to ease that burden, Smith said. 淏y creating a lending library of quality knife kits for students to borrow, we can help them begin and complete the program to prepare for a successful career. Helping students reach their dreams is our goal at , and we will do everything we can to make it happen.
Runners-up at the event received full or partial funding, including JoNell Henderson and Dr. Telly Sellars for Sharpen Gateway; Tabitha Kerr for Your Journey Begins Here; Ann Knopp for Work Study Leadership Conference; and Jerisia Lamons for Career Pathways Software. The Foundation and Student Success Circle Committee help select finalists, demonstrating another facet of this initiative檚 goal of having the community and college work together to ensure students succeed.
The Foundation檚 annual UnGala fundraiser supports Student Success Circle grants. This year檚 event will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 28 in 檚 Student Center. The event takes a different approach to traditional fundraisers, featuring a casual back-to-school theme where jeans, dancing and karaoke set the tone. Attendees become members of the Student Success Circle by purchasing tickets. Tickets are $75 and available at ectc.us/ungala.
For more information about joining the Student Success Circle, contact Chrissie Angell at chrissie.angell@kctcs.edu or 270-706-8833.