Linn-Benton Community College Foundation Comprehensive Gifts Campaign reached beyond its $10 million fund raising goal in December, ending the campaign with a grand total of $10,039,093 in pledges and donations.
The Foundation kicked off the final phase of the campaign on Sept. 25, 2003, with nearly $8 million in pledges and donations at that time. The following 15 months included a number of fundraising activities including the “Make a Difference Paver Project,” in which engraved paving stones created a remodeled north entrance to the college’s Albany Campus. The project is ongoing, with pavers still available at three donation levels.
“In today’s economic climate, with state funding levels in question, the College is stretched to meet the basic needs of students,” said LBCC President Dr. Rita Cavin. “Thanks to the generous support of our community, the LBCC Foundation provides us the ‘margin of excellence’ to help our students succeed.”
Campaign funds go to support many short-term needs at LBCC, such as student scholarships, student assistance and enrichment, support for teaching excellence, support for the presidents emergency fund for students, and funds for capital projects.
In addition, the Foundation awards $35,000 a year in allocations for special projects, minority scholarships, visiting speakers, cultural and educational programs, and special equipment for classroom use.
“The LBCC Foundation was able to award more than $400,000 in scholarships and student assistance in 2004, which is the highest annual amount awarded to date,” said Marlene Propst, Executive Director of the Foundation.
Recent equipment purchases made possible through the Foundation include the purchase of biomechanical arm models for the Science department, used in anatomy and physiology class to calculate various pressures and weights, and the purchase of an underwater digital camera for use in science courses, which allows students to create a photographic record of underwater experiments.
Foundation assets grew in the period of 1999-2004 from $3 million to more than $6 million.
According to Propst, the bulk of donations come from individual donors and a few key business partners. Donations to the Foundation can include gifts of stock, securities, cash, planned gifts and real or personal property.
In April 2004, an anonymous donor gifted $1.5 million to the Foundation for renovation of the library and learning center, which will add much-needed space and upgrades to the building and equipment. The theater was also renovated using the funds from a generous donation from the Russell Tripp family.
LBCC staff gift an average of $54,000 per year to the Foundation. Currently, 47 staff members gift one percent of their gross monthly salaries to the Foundation through monthly payroll deduction.
“The success of this campaign reflects the commitment of LBCC staff and the bonds the surrounding communities have to LBCC as well, as the value they place on education today,” said Alex Paul, President of the Board of Trustees for the LBCC Foundation.
For more information or to make a donation to the LBCC Foundation, contact the Foundation office at 917-4209.