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OLYMPIA – �鶹�� proudly announces a generous $1 million gift from an anonymous alumni donor. This significant contribution, to be given over the next five years, will directly support student success by funding scholarships and vital student services.

Throughout the 2024-25 academic year, the funds will be provided to the college’s Basic Needs Center and for scholarships for students of �鶹�� Tacoma and the Native Pathways Program. The donor selected these three initiatives to help reduce barriers to graduation and support students who are making a positive impact in their communities.

���������������’s Basic Needs Center facilitates access to necessities such as housing, food, clothing, and hygiene products, and community resources at no cost to students. The Basic Needs Center also helps students connect to regional community resources through tailored referrals and advocacy.

Located in the historic Hilltop neighborhood, �鶹�� Tacoma has helped Tacoma residents acquire the skills and confidence to take their places as leaders in the region. Longtime Tacoma resident and �鶹�� faculty member Dr. Maxine Mimms founded the Tacoma program in her home in the Hilltop in 1972. The program was formally established at 12th and MLK in 1982. �鶹�� Tacoma offers a dynamic and inclusive learning environment that celebrates diversity, innovation, and community engagement.

In ���������������’s Native Pathways Program, students expand their knowledge by examining Indigenous and Western thought and practices through an Indigenous lens. Using a cohort model of learning, the program uses works written or created by Indigenous authors and scholars, engages in place-based learning that tells the stories of the land, and structures lessons centered on Indigenous cultural knowledge.

“We are incredibly grateful for this gift, which will have a lasting impact on our students and the broader community,” said Dr. John Carmichael, �鶹�� President. “These funds allow the college to address immediate student needs and help remove barriers to higher education, proving once again that �鶹�� is for everyone.”

This gift is part of �鶹��’s Foundation’s ongoing efforts to empower students and support innovative, community-based education.

On Thursday, May 4, 2023, as part of its college-wide Forever Green fundraising campaign, champions of �鶹�� gathered on Tacoma’s waterfront for the annual Art of Giving Gala and Auction where together they gave $395,000 to support the college’s scholarship fund. 

This year’s event-themed “Reasons to Believe,” launched with a four-week virtual scholarship drive including a $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match donated by �鶹�� parents Betsy and John Donnelly and concluded with the gala on May 4. Gifts to the Art of Giving benefit the �鶹�� Scholarship Fund which provides renewable scholarships that increase in size as students near graduation. In addition, the funds raised will move �鶹�� closer to its $55+ million-dollar campaign goal. To date, the five-year campaign which concludes on June 30, 2024, has raised more than $49 million dollars.

“�鶹�� serves students who go on to lead, to serve, to solve problems, and to build more just communities,” said Dr. John Carmichael, President of �鶹��, who addressed more than 200 gala goers. “We need these students regardless of their family or economic circumstances. We need them. And they need some help from us.” 

Almost 35 percent of �鶹�� students identify as low-income, and 22 percent are the first in their family to attend college. One of the goals of the Forever Green campaign is to double the amount of scholarship support provided to students. Onya Robertson a senior at ���������������’s Tacoma campus shared, “This �鶹�� education has allowed me to rebirth my dreams I thought I left behind many years ago. I learned with �鶹�� that I get to decide the life I want, I get to show my children and everyone else watching, that they do not have to give up on their dreams. Because of �鶹��, I know the world is mine.” 

“At the recent public launch of ���������������’s inaugural college-wide $55 million-dollar fundraising campaign,” shared Dr. Dexter Gordon, Executive Vice President for �鶹��. “I noted that �鶹�� has touched all our lives…students, alums, professors, community members…we all benefit from �鶹��'s commitment to inclusive excellence. As I survey my years as an educator in higher ed, �鶹�� continues to stand apart as the place of learning most alive to its responsibility to democracy as part of its larger public policy.”

From the stage, leading sponsor Washington State Employees Credit Union, spoke of the value of partnerships with organizations like �鶹��, “Washington State Employees Credit Union is a proud partner with �鶹�� in areas of financial education, student support, and scholarships.” said Suzanne Klenk, Financial Educator and Coach with Community Relations for WSECU. “It’s partnerships like this that allow us to do more….to be more. Through this partnership, we are not just a financial institution. We are a community partner and advocate for equity in education.” 

�鶹�� Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building an outstanding future for students. To learn how you can make a difference with a gift, visit the Forever Green webpage or email foundation@evergreen.edu.

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