Eventually, the goal is to raise $1 million for the fund, which will create an endowment for need-based scholarships. With $600,000 in the bank, that $1 million mark is a lot closer to reach. 

“We are so thrilled, and so thankful to everyone in the community for helping us maximize this federal challenge grant,” said Don Tomas, president of SCC.

For the 2014-15 academic year, 237 students applied for financial assistance through the SCC Foundation. But the Foundation only had enough resources to fund 73 scholarships. In the future, the disparity between those numbers will hopefully be less. 

The money came about through the generosity of the community and leadership from the foundation’s director, Mary Otto Selzer. According to SCC’s department of institutional research, about 90 percent of Southwestern students who complete a program at the school live and work in the college’s service area afterward.

“SCC is so important for students in this part of the state,” said Lynda Sossamon, one of the many to give to the campaign. “Many students who attend SCC stay here after they graduate, and they are employed in our community.”

Online donations can be made at www.southwesterncc.edu/foundation.