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Date: 12/15/2021
HOLYOKE – Holyoke Community College conducted a Giving Tuesday 2021 initiative as part of a larger initiative of the HCC Foundation to raise $50,000 between Oct. 1 and Dec. 30. HCC alum Margaret “Peg” (Laframboise) Wendlandt of the class of 1958 and her husband Gary have pledged to triple that amount and give an additional $100,000 to the Student Emergency Fund.
The HCC Foundation’s goal just for Giving Tuesday was to raise $15,000 for the HCC President’s Student Emergency Fund. They raised $16,555, of which $14,265 qualified for the challenge, so the Wendlandt’s then matched that with $28,530 totaling $42,795.
On the school’s Facebook page, they announced, “Through the collective efforts of HCC alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, board members, and friends, you helped raise $16,055 for the President’s Student Emergency Fund, student scholarships, and the Thrive Center on Giving Tuesday! Alumni from as far away as Illinois, Florida, and North Carolina answered the call to support HCC students.”
Julie Phillips, coordinator of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving at HCC, gave examples of how the student emergency fund helps students. She said, “with this pandemic, it was really tough for a lot of students. We had one mother who had two special needs children and was a single parent, and her water heater broke. She had no reserved cash, and her hours had been cut at her job. She was trying to balance taking care of her special needs children. So she appealed to the student emergency fund at HCC, went through our process, which the key to the processes as the check is turned around rather quickly, within 48 hours and we were able to replace her water heater.”
According to HCC’s website, “The President’s Student Emergency Fund was created by the HCC Foundation, with President Christina Royal and through the generosity of alumni and friends, in order to assist students who encounter an unforeseen financial emergency that would prevent them from continuing their education.” Furthermore, the Wendlandt’s helped seed this fund in 2018 and continue to do so to this day.” said Phillips.
Gary Wendlandt said their intention behind the Giving Tuesday initiative “was to give money, and we thought that this would be a way of providing leverage that would get other people to also think about giving money, and the school, I think, does good work.”
Peg Wendlandt further commented, “I would not have been able to attend school myself if I did not have a scholarship way back when. And so I just am grateful that I was able to do it and would like to share that experience.”
Gary also added that another reason why they give to the school is “we are great believers in education. Everybody should have an opportunity for education. Holyoke Community College is one way that people who have trouble affording some of the more expensive schools are able to attend. They might work while they go to school or whatever, but they are able to attend school and get started in life and get the education that is generally needed in order to succeed in various professions.”
Peg noted that there is still time to give “there is more money that we’re willing to triple before the end of the year. So if more people want to give to this particular funds, we’re still ready to match before the end of the year.”
She said they would like to send the money to the school in the last week of December, and according to Phillips, they are at “$30,365 raised and rushing to cross the finish line at $50,000 by the end of the month.”
To make a donation to HCC’s Student Emergency Fund, visit hcc.edu/giving-tuesday
For more information on HCC’s student emergency fund, visit https://www.hcc.edu/alumni-and-friends/the-hcc-foundation/presidents-student-emergency-fund.