More programs and larger scholarships, including for students who are first in their families to attend college, are in the offing thanks to the inaugural success of HCC Rising: Together We Lift Our Community fund-raising campaign.
The final campaign tally of just over $9M for Hillsborough Community College more than tripled its original fundraising goal of $3M during the inaugural college-wide push.
What comes next? Mostly, increasing the college’s endowment, scholarships, and program support. Specifically, health services education programs will benefit.
The final campaign tally of $9,221,868.94 was revealed during the Foundation’s Presidential Showcase in December. Local philanthropists Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel made the single largest donation to the campaign, to which they pledged $1M. Proceeds from the Presidential Showcase, in particular, are funneled to the college’s First Generation Fund, which provides scholarships to those who are first in their family to attend college.
“Access and affordability for students are of paramount importance for our current President, Ken Atwater, so elevating private support, visibility, and partnerships has become a greater focus,” says Lee Lowry, Hillsborough Community College Director of Development.
The community has embraced Hillsborough Community College and the HCC Foundation, Lowry says. It’s a symbiotic relationship that benefits both. New workforce programs continue to offer real-life support, and the Foundation has helped to fund and launch pilot programs in healthcare as well as workforce fields such as medical technology and diesel mechanic.
“These serve our community by providing well-trained employees for growing fields where they are in great need,” Lowry says.
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