Program:
Meet Students' Most Pressing Needs with an Annual Gift
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Education
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Program Description:
The Fund for Reynolds is the College's annual fund that allows us to serve students' greatest needs not supported by tuition and decreasing state appropriations. Faculty and staff are being asked to do more to serve nearly 20,000 students annually among our three campuses, including distance learning programs, with less resources to do so.
The annual fund is the cornerstone of critical funding for our students. It allows us to supplement career programs and personnel when budget shortfalls arise and deeper cuts are expected.
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Program:
Increase Access to College through Scholarships
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Program Description:
Nearly 1,000 students apply annually for scholarships to help with College tuition and fees. Because of limited funds available, less than 300 of these students receive scholarship awards. Individual scholarship awards range from $200 to $4,000.
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Research shows that lack of financial resources hinder student success rates. Two key factors measured in the process were student retention and graduation rates of scholarsip recipients to determine if receiving a scholarship, in fact, helped students continue enrollment in classes and graduate. Eighty-five percent of scholarship students enrolled in Fall 2006 also enrolled in Fall 2007 versus fifty-nine percent of students who did not receive scholarship assistance. Also, the graduation rate of scholarship recipients was fifty-six percent compared to twenty percent for non-scholarship students. Scholarship support is making a positive difference!
Program Success Examples:
A single mother, Jody Conway returned to school to pursue her goal of becoming a pharmacist. Faced with limited time and resources, Jody sought help from the Reynolds' scholarship office. The Richmond chapter of Executive Women’s International provided Conway with two scholarships. With the extra support, she completed her coursework at Reynolds, transferred to The Medical College of Virginia’s School of Pharmacy, and graduated June 2007. Jody is currently working as a pharmacist with Kroger's.
“I know that there are many people like me out there who want to go back to school, but situations prevent it. However, I don’t want to be one of those people with potential and a dream, and no way to make it come true. A scholarship would make my dreams become reality, something I am unable to do for myself. I have the ambition, the desire, and the dreams. I just don’t have the finances to pursue them.”
-Robin Custalow, 2007 scholarship recipient, future Registered Nurse
Program:
Renovate Downtown Campus Science Labs
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Program Description:
The College’s Downtown Campus houses 11 programs in the School of Nursing and Allied Health and serves as the college access point for the most economically disadvantaged individuals in our Richmond region. Several of these career programs include nursing, respiratory therapy, and medical lab technology. The Downtown Campus has not had significant renovations and upgrades since it was built more than 30 years ago. It is time to level the playing field—providing City students representing one of Virginia’s most underserved populations with the quality educational tools they deserve.
The renovation project will encompass over 115,000 square feet of the 194,533 square foot building and will provide needed upgrades to mechanical and electrical systems, renovations of teaching laboratories, classrooms, and support space to provide modern instruction to our students. A total of four science laboratories will provide the latest technology and interactive learning in anatomy, natural science, biology, chemistry, and physics, and will be renovated and fitted with new technologies and instruments. More than 2,400 students utilize these labs each semester for courses required for the College’s healthcare programs, as well as those required in the Associate of Science program that transfers to four-year colleges for students to complete their Bachelor’s degree.
Cost estimates received from contracted architects for the Downtown Campus renovation project are $12.5 million. The Commonwealth of Virginia authorized the College Bond Authority to provide $11 million. The work also includes upgrades to major building systems such as HVAC (heating, ventilating, air conditioning), electrical distribution, plumbing, elevators, building automation, and building finishes (i.e., ceiling, floor, and wall) that will increase energy efficiency and save close to $10,000 a year in operating costs for the building.
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Provide At-Risk Youth a Second Chance through Middle College
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$260,000
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Education
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Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Middle College is a college entry program for 18-24 year-old high school dropouts. It prepares young people for GED completion and continuation with college classes or workforce entry. The program’s focus on the transition to college or work, in addition to GED attainment, is what sets this program apart from other GED preparation programs. What motivates these young adults to persevere is the pride they feel in being a part of a college community, the surrogate family they find in Middle College faculty and each other, and role modeling for their young children that education is the foundation to a better life.
The Middle College is four months in length. Students attend either a morning or evening session on our Downtown Campus for two hours, four days a week. After a three-year pilot and resounding success, the College committed to securing additional funding from local partners to sustain this important opportunity for low-income individuals. Now in its sixth year, Middle College continues to remove barriers to education for high school dropouts. The number of applicants for this program far exceeds the number we can accept. Of about 600 applicants last year, we were only able to serve 200; 100 in Middle College itself and another 100 in a pilot BOOST Academy. BOOST is a remediation program to provide math, reading, and essay writing skills training for individuals who applied to Middle College but did not meet the minimum entrance requirement. State budget hardships and an uncertain economy are making it difficult for the College to serve a record-number of students seeking the community college as their on-ramp to higher education. Our goal is to preserve the free Middle College program that has become a beacon of light for local at-risk youth.
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We know the Middle College works. To date, over 500 at–risk students have overcome barriers to accessing education and have raised their standard of living potential; 70 percent of those accepted into the program now have a GED. Even more promising is 50 percent of last semester’s graduates are working toward a college degree. There are significant challenges retaining students and transitioning them into a college environment—from demands of full-time work to pay the monthly bills and juggling reliable and affordable childcare, to lack of transportation and affordable housing. We have made progress addressing these issues early on in a student’s progression by hiring a Retention/Transition Specialist, but we still have much work to do. Progress is monitored and quarterly reports are performed on GED completion rates and college transition rates. One-year follow-up is conducted on each Middle College graduate to determine progress made.
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Program Success Examples:
Tennessee is a 21-year-old Middle College graduate who returned to Reynolds to enroll in Business 101. His goal is to earn an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and transfer to VCU to complete his Bachelor’s Degree. Tennessee dreams of owning a small business someday that will help take care of his family. Upon graduating from the Middle College, he pursued a course in truck driving to obtain his commercial driver’s license. Tennessee completed this program and is now working for Federal Express.
JaNay is a 20-year-old Middle College graduate who has a five-year plan to begin working on her law degree. She hopes to travel to Japan and England someday and study abroad and also pursue training in web design. JaNay strives to create a better living situation for herself and become a lawyer. Because her family is not in the position to pay for college she relies on scholarship assistance to return to Reynolds for college coursework.
April is a 27-year-old Middle College graduate and single mother who provides care for a disabled parent. Her goal is to obtain an entry-level office support position and continue with schooling. She strives to be a role model for her son and show him first-hand that it takes hard work and patience to achieve success. April was formerly employed in human resources with the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services before budget cuts eliminated her position.
Program:
Leave a Legacy with a Planned Gift
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Program Description:
Planned Giving is the integration of personal, financial, and estate planning goals with lifetime or testamentary charitable giving and a wonderful opportunity for giving in circumstances that may not otherwise allow you to make a gift to charity.
Through designating a planned gift to the JSRCC Educational Foundation, you will receive a personal benefit now while helping to sustain future generations of students. We encourage you to discuss this option with your tax advisor, and visit our planned giving website at
www.reynoldsgiftplanning.org to learn more.
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"I have spent the last ten years as an active volunteer and supporter of this wonderful institution known as J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. The reason is much more important than the obvious connection with my late husband, Sarge Reynolds.
As a longtime Richmond resident, community college believer, and member of the Legacy Society at the College, I take pride in knowing that I'm doing my part to make Richmond a better place for my grandchildren. I want them to know that 'Grandma Boo' cares about their future!"
~ Mary Ballou Reynolds Williams
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