Friends of NWTC Magazine Spring 2020 | Page 8

NWTC EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF GROWING STUDENT SUCCESS Construction begins on campus. Sometimes the seeds of a simple beginning grow into something that will change lives forever. NWTC’s Green Bay campus is usually bustling with human activity now, but the site was once an apple orchard. Johnny Appleseed had nothing on a group of dedicated supporters who, in 1969, sold apples from the NWTC construction site. Proceeds from the sales helped make the College what it is today. 1970 groundbreaking at the Green Bay campus. Apple trees can be seen in the background. and ultimately to improve lives of the community and the students that graduate,” Joe Langer ‘74, NWTC Educational Foundation board member said. “It’s really about building the workforce of tomorrow.” The first years of the Foundation were dedicated to raising money to build an endowment, with the first scholarships awarded to four students in 1974. As cited in a 1977 NWTC Educational Foundation, Inc. publication: Now, the Foundation awards scholarships averaging $750 to about 850 students per year—students like Dani Mayer ‘01. Mayer started at NWTC in 1999 to pursue an associate degree in nursing. As she made applesauce with her four-year-old son in her De Pere kitchen, she reflected on the struggles she went through that first year of college and her determination to graduate without incurring crushing debt. The Foundation bylaws, charter, IRS status and statement of not being a private foundation were established by dedicated individuals who saw it evolve from a modest start (funds were derived from the sale of apples on the new site for campus construction). On April 2, 1970, with $14,000 from apple sales and other donations, the NWTC Educational Foundation officially became a non-profit organization with a goal to provide students with scholarships and support to empower them to continue their education and earn a degree. Those same principles guide the Foundation Board of Directors today. “NWTC has a primary goal of being able to match the needs of education to the businesses in the area 8 \ FRIENDS OF NWTC “I was working three jobs at that point,” Mayer said. Paying her rent, car payment, studying and working sometimes all day and night, the stress began impacting her health. “It was just a rough time,” Mayer said. “My arms were full of psoriasis. That was my first and only breakout I ever had, because of the stress of everything.” Then Mayer’s miracle happened.