EFSC Foundation Newsletter August 2019 | Page 2

Page 2 Foundation Newsletter DONOR SPOTLIGHT EFSC Foundation Receives $3,000 Grant for Mechatronics Lab T he Eastern Florida State College Foundation has received a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Brevard for the new Mechatronics Lab on the Cocoa Campus. The grant came from the John K. and Julia R. Roach Fund to provide direct educational support for the lab that is scheduled to open in January 2020. Mechatronics is a field that marries mechanical, electrical and computing systems to support advanced manufacturing. It is critical to the manufacture, maintenance and repair of high-tech products. The lab will play an important role in the college’s Aerospace Technology and Engineering Technology programs that are training students for careers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and other high-tech fields. Brittani James, Grants Coordinator for the Community Foundation for Brevard, underscored “the vision and generosity of the donors, whose philanthropy directly supports the health and vitality of the community.” Jennie Kriete, Director of the EFSC Foundation, thanked the Foundation for “helping the college and our students in a way that will have a lasting impact on many lives for years to come.” GREAT NEWS: A n anonymous donor left the Foundation $500,000 in their estate and started an endowed scholarship to start growing and awarding today! Planned Giving is an avenue to charitably donate to the EFSC Foundation leaving a legacy for students in the future. For more information, contact [email protected] “As university tuition costs rise and community colleges become more attractive to students, donors are taking notice. Community colleges today serve 41% of all undergraduates in the country, and they do so at about one-third the cost of a four-year public institution for in-state students, according to Parham. However, many community colleges are facing cuts in state support, so community-college fundraisers and leaders are working harder to raise money from private donors.” Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education. ARTICLE JULY 18, 2019