I don’t need to remind you about the past year. But after months of unsettled living, we are thankfully moving slowly back to what we remember as normal.
Unfortunately, the pandemic has been a much different story for many people from this county, including some Washtenaw Community College students. They have endured much.
Community college students are among the most vulnerable people in our community. They often work in lower-paying service industry jobs, manage home lives, and make the extra effort to attend school.
The pandemic has meant reduced hours, job losses and panic about health and financial survival.
Now with fewer good paying jobs available, the risk of having to pay back past due rent, new waves of the virus, and a delayed reopening of the economy, things are still rough for many.
But there is some good news.
Over the past year, the WCC Foundation has been the place of hope and help for our students.
Thanks to your generous gifts to the Foundation, our Student Emergency Fund was able to provide quick and effective support that allowed students to overcome barriers to their education.
This included, sending grocery store cards to battle food insecurities, paying high utility bills, and giving students computers and access to the internet.
We are grateful to the many friends, companies, organizations, alumni, and foundations that stepped up over the past year to make timely and generous contributions.
This included major donations from organizations such as the 100+ Women of Washtenaw County, companies like ITC Holdings, and all who responded to our year-end appeal. Special thanks to the caring individuals who funded new endowments that will serve students both now and for many years to come.
Your generosity is working. In fact, we are pleased to report that nearly 83% of the students that received assistance are either still in school or have graduated!
Your wonderful gifts made it possible for students to stay in school, continue working toward the finish line, and be prepared to either transfer to a four-year college or to secure good jobs and careers in our community.
We look forward to the day we will be back on campus, back to work and back together. Until then, some of our students will continue struggling to make ends meet and stay in school. The WCC Foundation will be there to continue offering critical assistance.
Please consider helping them with a donation to the Student Emergency Fund by visiting wccnet.edu/give.
We appreciate all gifts and look forward to partnering with you in the months to come to make this a stronger community.
Tags: April 2021, On The Record, Student Emergency Fund, WCC Foundation, ousearch_News_2021