College foundation board surpasses annual funding goal, announces five new scholarship funds
Press release:
The Genesee Community College Foundation has once again surpassed its $459,000 annual campaign goal. With the help of 119 local volunteers the campaign brought in $491,008 in funds to support local students as they achieve their dreams of earning a college degree.
"We've had an excellent core of volunteers that have made this campaign so successful," said Monica Hale Dawson ('72) secretary-treasurer of Shepard, Maxwell Hale Insurance Agency, and foundation board director and general chair of Genesee Foundation's 2010-2011 annual campaign.
"The diligence of our community is remarkable. Those that give to the campaign know they are investing in the human resources and the economic vitality of our region."
She added that there are nine divisions in the annual campaign. Each division chair is responsible for a portion of the overall $459,000 goal. Division chairs were:
• Alumni Division: Robert Bennett, ('74) of Batavia, vice president, Bank of Castile, Batavia
• Associates Division: Jane Scott, of Stafford, branch manager, Five Star Bank, Batavia
• Faculty and Staff Division: Marirose Ethington, of Pavilion, professor of biology, GCC
• Genesee Division: Peter Call, of Batavia, president, My-T Acres, Inc.
• Heritage Division: Patrick Forsyth, of Batavia, CPA, and foundation board director
• Leadership Division: Robert L. Boyce, of Le Roy, broker, Tompkins Insurance Agency and foundation board director
• Livingston Division: co-chairs Les Cole, of Caledonia, president, Commodity Resource Corporation and foundation board director, and Robert C. Savage, of Avon, president, WYSL and foundation board director
• Orleans Division: Wendy L. Hinkley, of Albion, branch manager, HSBC Bank, Albion office
• Wyoming Division: Teresa Eddy, of Alexander, branch manager, Five Star Bank, Attica office
The campaign includes an Endowment Challenge Grant, a five year federal grant, from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant matches dollar for dollar funds raised for students in need up to $80,000 per year. For the second year, generous donors have met the Endowment Challenge goal.
The 2010-2011 campaign year also introduced five new named scholarship funds established by faculty, staff and caring and community-minded friends of the college:
• Denniston K. Wood Art Scholarship, awarded to students interested in the arts.
• Michael Stoll Scholarship, awarded to students in a health career degree program.
• Richard J. and Maribell Scholl Reid Musical Theatre Scholarship, awarded to students with an interest in the field of musical theater.
• Seymour Family Scholarship, awarded to second-year students demonstrating financial need.
• William H. Collins Scholarship, awarded to students pursuing a degree in business or finance.
• Stuart Steiner Leadership Fund, supports projects that foster leadership excellence at GCC.
Community organizations, businesses, service clubs, families and individuals are welcomed to establish named scholarship funds with the Genesee Community College Foundation. A donor can decide on basic information such as the name, purpose, criteria for making awards from the fund and when it will be established.
An agreement is then drawn up and signed, usually by the donor, club president or scholarship chair. The fund may be established with the intention to contribute $500 or more annually. Donors may also establish a fund with the intention to contribute a minimum of $10,000 to endow the fund and to use the income to fund the scholarship in perpetuity. Gifts to establish the endowment may be made over a period of one to five years.
More information on named funds can be found at http://www.genesee.edu/about/foundation/funds_special.cfm.
The Genesee Community College Foundation was formed in the mid-1980s as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing service to and support of the college. Its 30-member board of directors is comprised of business and civic leaders, and last year, the foundation's philanthropic support provided 678 scholarships to Genesee students, as well as other grants, totaling $599,779.
Contributions for support for the college programs and students may be sent to the Genesee Community College Foundation, One College Road, Batavia, NY 14020. For more information contact the foundation (585) 345-6809 or foundation@genesee.edu.
