Creating a Legacy

This has been a year of change for Cleveland Community College as we welcomed our first new president in over 25 years. One thing that will not change, however, is the College’s and the Foundation’s efforts to provide our students with the best possible opportunities to build a better life.

As we enter the second half of 2018, plans are moving forward to design an Advanced Manufacturing Center; partnerships with local industry and organizations continue to flourish; and grant-writing efforts continue. Above all, the Foundation continues to partner with amazing faculty and staff to support the programs and events that help our students. The Foundation is also partnering with community donors to bring even more scholarship opportunities to students.

“Creating a Legacy” can be interpreted uniquely by each person: being the first to obtain a higher education credential in your family; giving back to your community through establishing a scholarship; becoming a volunteer or mentor. Your legacy is created and defined by you and could start or be enriched through a contribution to the Foundation.

Our students are the future of Cleveland County. To be successful, they need access to state-of-the-art facilities, cutting-edge equipment and comprehensive programs that will equip them with the skills and knowledge required by local employers. Donors make this possible!

Your tax deductible financial gift to the Foundation ensures additional avenues for enhancing educational opportunities for Cleveland Community College students, faculty and staff. It has never been easier to invest in the Foundation’s charitable efforts! There are multiple giving options available to donors, including but not limited to:

Cash, check or credit card
Corporate matching gifts
Endowments
Memorials
Stocks, bonds and mutual funds

Electrical Lineworker Academy

Donations via PayPal™

You can now donate to the Foundation directly through the website, at a time convenient for you. This service is made possible through PayPal, and you can access it by clicking the “Donate” button on the top right-hand corner
of the Foundation’s website www.clevelandccfoundation.org.

Amazon Smile™

You can also support the Foundation each time you shop at Amazon, with no additional cost to you. Each time you make an eligible purchase at smile.amazon.com, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the Foundation. All you do is select Cleveland Community College as the organization you would like to support. This is an incredibly simple and easy way to support the Foundation.

Giving Back!

The Foundation’s #1 goal is to give back to the College and its students. In keeping with our mission, the Foundation sponsors a variety of events each year to support CCC students and our community.

2017 Foundation Sponsorships

In April, the Foundation sponsored the annual Entrepreneur Expo’s Fast Pitch competition. The FastPitch event consisted of three categories: Community, High School, and College; this year, a total of $1,500 was given to the winners of the competition. This event provided potential entrepreneurs and students an opportunity to pitch their life-science business idea (or related service) to a panel of local business owners.

Also in April, the Foundation sponsored the 2017 Cleveland County Job Fair which was held at the LeGrand Center. The Job Fair brought more than 70 employers to the College, connecting the workforce in Cleveland County and surrounding areas with numerous hiring managers.

This summer, the Foundation was excited to partner with TRIO Talent Search to provide t-shirts for students participating in summer camp initiatives.

The Foundation also provided financial support and scholarships for the 6th annual Making It Work event, hosted by Cleveland County Schools, Cleveland County Economic Development Partnership, and the College.

In November, the Foundation sponsored the annual Cleveland County Fire & Rescue College. This event brings rescue personnel from throughout North Carolina to CCC where they participate in fast paced, high-energy training exercises.

The Foundation continued its annual support of Cleveland Early College High School’s freshman class by purchasing high quality sweatshirt hoodies, each donning the Carl and Doris Dedmon Center CECHS Vikings logo!

Grants Seeking Efforts Continue

Emily Sisk and Kristin Blanton, along with associated College faculty and staff, continue working to secure funding through grants. In 2017, the College received approximately $1.8 million in grants, including:

$1.5 Million from the Golden Leaf Foundation, to go toward construction costs for the new Advanced Manufacturing Center
$70,000 from the NC Department of Commerce, for the Electrical Lineworker Academy
$5,000 from the John M. Belk Endowment, to support the Taste of Industry Event
$5,000 from the Duke Energy Foundation, for the Electrical Lineworker Academy
$7,000 and $5,000 from the PPG Industries Foundation, to support the Making It Work Event and FIRST Robotics Team, respectively
$15,000 from the Gene Haas Foundation for the Computer-Integrated Machining program
$10,000 from the Albemarle Foundation for improvements to the Industrial Systems Technology program
$1,000 from the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association for Industrial Systems Workforce training
$5,000 from Carolina Farm Credit to support Fire and Rescue Training
$11,722 from NC Community College System to support an additional truck driver training course in Continuing Education
$200,000 from Duke Energy to support Electrical Lineworker Academy apprenticeship initiatives
$3,000 in tool donations to the Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology Program
Data center crash carts from Facebook Forest City Data Center Community Action Grant

CCC and the Foundation Loses Long Time Supporter

Edgar “Ed” Blanton Hamilton, a longtime supporter of the Cleveland Community College Foundation, passed away on March 25, 2017. He joined The First National Bank of Shelby, where he worked for 50 years and became president, CEO and chairman of the board. He graduated from The Stonier Graduate School of Banking and the executive program at the University of North Carolina.

While working for the bank, he was chairman of the advisory board of the local Salvation Army, president of the Chamber of Commerce, senior warden at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, president of the Shelby Rotary Club and elected Shelby’s Citizen of the Year. He was also awarded the Paul Harris Fellow for the Shelby Rotary Club. He was chairman of the drive that raised the funds to build the Cleveland County Memorial Library building. He was also president of Shelby Loan and Mortgage Corporation. Ed served on the CCC Foundation Board of Directors as Board Member Emeritus, until his passing.

New Scholarships Announced!

The Billy and Lucille Bankhead Memorial Scholarship was established by their family to provide assistance to students who work while trying to achieve their educational goals. The scholarship provides an annual award, with preference to students enrolled in either an advanced manufacturing or early childhood education program of study at Cleveland Community College.

Brian M. Sitzes Memorial Scholarship (accepting contributions) Funds raised for this endowed scholarship will provide financial assistance for students enrolled in the Criminal Justice or B.L.E.T programs at Cleveland Community College. Officer Sitzes’ wife, Rebecca had this to say about the scholarship, “Brian would have been very proud to have this started in his name. He never had the opportunity to go to college but he spent his adult life serving his country and community. Now I – and my family/his family and friends – want to provide an educational opportunity in his name. We’ll be working on some fundraisers in the near future, but CCC can begin accepting donations immediately.
Thank you all for any way you can help with this!”

Michael David Scott Parsons Memorial Scholarship (accepting contributions) Funds raised for this endowed scholarship will provide financial assistance for students enrolled in Welding, or another related vocational program. This scholarship has been established by Michael’s parents, David and Lea Parsons so that Michael’s dream of becoming a welder can live on through other students at Cleveland Community College. According to Michael’s father, “Michael was planning to become a welder, and was very excited about completing his welding certification. I believe that Michael would love to see a scholarship in his name be used to help students achieve their dream of becoming a professional welder.”

There are several ways you can contribute to either the Brian M. Sitzes or Michael David Scott Parsons Memorial Scholarships:

Write a check! Make check payable to Cleveland Community College Foundation, with the name of the scholarship in the memo line
Bring your contribution into the Foundation office
Contribute online! For your convenience, contributions can be made on our website (clevelandccfoundation.org) via PayPal
You can also call the Foundation staff at 704-669-4025and we will be glad to answer any questions you have

CCC Foundation Annual Report

During the 2017 calendar year, the Foundation reported a total of 65 new pledges, totaling $22,053.32, and 136 donations, totaling $333,215.66. These figures include donations and pledges received during the 2017 Faculty/Staff Campaign, which was a huge success. The Foundation staff would like to extend a heartfelt “thank you” to all our donors. It is because of your dedication and support that we can continue serving the College and its students.

Give today at clevelandccfoundation.org. Contributions are tax-deductible as provided by law and make a difference in our community!