Thank You to Our Los Rios Family
It is no secret that this has been an exceptionally difficult time, but with the help of all our caring and generous colleagues, we have made things a little less difficult for students. With your help, we were able to raise $210,536 in COVID-19 Relief Funds to help students impacted by the pandemic.
We wanted to share some of the ways you have made a positive impact on the lives of students since we went remote in March:
- 160 students received Student Emergency Fund grants totaling $102,415.00,
- 83 computers were shipped directly to students who did not have one at home,
- 150 hungry students received $50 food gift cards, and
- $34,000 was transferred to the campus Cares programs to provide hotel stays for homeless students.
Because of the generosity of donors like you, we are lucky to still have some remaining funds to do more of this good work as we kick off another semester of remote operations. We have already earmarked $25,000 to pay for low-cost internet for students, purchase 180 more computers, and we continue to provide emergency grants.
How You Can Help
Stay tuned for how you can help meet students' continuing needs this school year! We will kick off another employee giving campaign in late September. You can also support FLC students by enrolling in Payroll Deduction. Payroll deduction is a fast, easy way to support the program of your choice. Fill out the online employee giving form and you are one step closer to contributing to the success of our campus.
Emergency Hotel Program
Being homeless while trying to complete a college degree is always exceptionally difficult, but it has become an especially urgent issue during the pandemic. We are happy to share that three campuses kicked off the Emergency Hotel Program this past spring and summer. This new program allowed staff to provide homeless students shelter for up to two weeks at a discounted rate at an Extended Stay Hotel.
One recent example from SCC's campus is Erica. Erica is a second-year student who had been living with a relative until she found out that she tested positive for COVID-19. The relative told her she was no longer welcome to stay and kicked her out of the house. Finding herself suddenly homeless and very ill at the same time, Erica went to a hotel and paid for the first few nights but was quickly running out of money. Although she has a job in a retail store, she was unable to work while testing positive for COVID-19, and yet because she is employed, she did not qualify for some initiatives that could help a homeless student like her.
She reached out to an SCC faculty member she knows and was referred to the Emergency Hotel Program. We were able to secure a hotel room for her for two weeks. She shared that COVID-19 made her very sick, and she experienced not just physical effects but many psychological effects as well. She was very grateful that she had a safe and secure place to stay while she was so seriously ill.
Erica has since recovered and is staying temporarily with another relative while she searches for permanent housing. She wanted to say thank you to all the donors to the COVID-19 relief fund who made this support possible. “Thank you to everyone who helped to support this program. COVID affects all aspects of life in an unpredictable way. I didn't think being homeless would ever be a possibility for me until I got COVID, and your support helped me through the two most difficult weeks of my life.”
While FLC has not launched the program yet, we plan to do so soon. In the meantime, If you know of a student in this situation, please refer them to the Los Rios Student Emergency Fund (SEF). The SEF provides immediate financial assistance (usually within 24 hours) to students involved in catastrophic or emergency situations.
One Foundation Team Serving Four Colleges
With all the changes happening in our remote environment, we have one more for you – it may be time to update your address book! We are coming together as one Foundation team. Our goal is to streamline operations in this reality of budget cuts, a hiring freeze, and the need for increased efficiencies. Please be assured, we will never waiver from our commitment to our mission to raise the most resources possible for our students and colleges. I will still be deeply engaged with FLC and Anne Ward, our Donor Relations Specialist, will focus on managing the Student Emergency Fund, athletics, and alumni engagement districtwide, allowing for less redundancy and more opportunities to enhance our philanthropy work and increase our results. Donations raised for FLC will continue to support our campus and the area donors designate, nothing will change.
Visit the Los Rios Colleges Foundation website for more information, but rest assured, we are still looking forward to providing you with the same customer service no matter who you call.