You may know that the Eastern Shore Community College Foundation provides scholarships for ESCC students.  You may know someone who has received a scholarship or you may even have benefited from one yourself.  A scholarship through the Foundation can be obtained in addition to other forms of financial aid.  There are scholarships for specific programs, such as Education and Nursing, or to cover tuition and expenses for general college studies. Scholarships are funded directly by the Foundation, which also manages scholarships funded by various Eastern Shore individuals, families and businesses.
What you may not know is that the ESCC Foundation does much more for the college.  The Foundation provides funds to support facilities, academic programs, student activities, student clubs, and faculty professional development.  Over the past several years, the Foundation has invested almost $1 million in the college.  The majority of those funds have been contributed toward building and access road construction, as well as student scholarships.  Other activities and programs the Foundation supports include free student transportation on Star Transit; a mini-grant program for faculty, staff and students; the annual Science Fair, Phi Theta Kappa activities, and Heritage Festival; the STEM internship program; and Commencement and other student activities.  Most of these activities fall into three areas which benefit ESCC and the Eastern Shore as a whole:  workforce and economic development, student access and success, and equipment and technology enhancements.  The Foundation Board is looking forward to assisting with construction costs and equipping the new academic and administration building tentatively scheduled for completion sometime in late 2017 or early 2018.

The ESCC Foundation also oversees the Project Horizons program, which supports and mentors at-risk middle and high school students to expose them to and encourage them to pursue post-secondary education.

The ESCC Foundation is a non-profit organization that receives funds from the generosity of the people and businesses of the Shore.  The board of directors includes community and business leaders who believe that ESCC is the best resource for the citizens of the Eastern Shore for education, career training and leisure learning.  The Foundation has raised over $$4.5 million since inception that directly supports the mission of the College, and the Board would like to thank our contributors who have made that possible.  If you would like to help sustain the work of the ESCC Foundation or for more information, contact Eve Belote, Executive Director at 757.789.1767 or ebelote@es.vccs.edu.

Pictured are Foundation Executive Director Eve Belote, long time supporter of the Foundation and Project Horizons, Bill Bannon, and ESCC President, Dr. Linda Thomas-Glover.