GCC Luncheon Honors Scholarship Donors & Recipients
November 14, 2008
Contacts:
Suzanne Higgins
suzanne.higgins@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3808
Patricia Rhodes Vogel
pr.vogel@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3014
More than 2,500 students at Glendale Community College (GCC) will receive scholarship awards this year totaling approximately $2 million. The scholarships come from private donors, foundations, corporations and civic organizations. This represents an 8% increase over last year.
GCC celebrated this year's donors and recipients at its annual scholarship luncheon November 6, with more than 175 in attendance. Twelve donors renewed or increased their scholarship gifts, resulting in $30,000 of new scholarship revenue. This year, two new scholarships and four new endowed scholarships will support GCC students in the areas of adult re-entry, nursing, developmental studies, and athletes continuing their education at a four-year college or university.
The private scholarships that enable so many students to achieve their higher education goals are becoming increasingly more important. The sharp downturn in the economy, a plummeting stock market, massive job losses, reduced credit available for loans, and other economic woes have had a huge impact on students' ability to attend college. It has also sharply curtailed the efforts of many parents to help their children with college costs.
Three poignant and heartfelt student speeches during the luncheon highlighted how drastically three student's lives were affected by the scholarships they won. And their stories are typical of most who receive such assistance. The audience was extremely moved, and several donors contributed additional money—over and above their original gifts—at the luncheon's end.
GCC invites others in the community to consider donating to student scholarships. For information about establishing a new scholarship or contributing to an existing scholarship, contact Judy Sánchez, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, at 623.845.3481. For information about applying for scholarships, contact Francs Mateo, Coordinator of Development and Scholarship Relations, at 623.845.3147.
