Community supporters help Santa Ana College students continue their education throughout COVID-19 pandemic
(Santa Ana, Calif.) – Santa Ana College Foundation (SACF) today announced community support of the foundation’s Resilience Fund. Established in an effort to ensure students continue their education throughout the global pandemic, the Resilience Fund addresses current, pandemic-related challenges as:
- Purchasing course materials
- Lack of access to technology such as computer availability and internet access that is critical to online learning
- Housing and food insecurities
- Loss of income or spousal loss of income
- Unforeseen financial challenges related to healthcare and/or childcare
In the last week and a half, community supporters and partners have come together to donate over $40,000 for those SAC students in need. Donors include:
- OC Resilience Fund which includes the Orange County Community Foundation, Charitable Ventures, Orange County Grantmakers and St. Joseph Community Partnership Fund
- The Stanley W. Ekstrom Foundation
- The Crevier Family Foundation
- The Kiwanis Club of Santa Ana
“This global crisis has pivoted our attention to the most basic and foundational support needed to enable Santa Ana College students to stay focused on their studies,” said Rossina Gallegos, president, Santa Ana College Foundation Board of Directors. “We are so grateful for the generous donations of our key partners and community leaders who are helping to ensure our students stay in school during this difficult time and ultimately complete their post-secondary educational goals. We invite our entire community to follow their lead and help fill in the gaps in order to ensure student success which leads to a strong workforce.”
“As the second largest community college in the state, located in the heart of urban Orange County, our hard-working students are at the epicenter of this acute national and worldwide crisis,” said Christina Romero, executive director, Santa Ana College Advancement Office. “They are first in line to be impacted by the many changes taking place that impact our daily lives and current economy and they continue to strive for excellence, even in the midst of trials. The SAC Foundation has partnered with supporters to create the SACF Resilience Fund to help our students face these challenges head-on. In this way we are quickly responding to their needs and working to stabilize the lowered retention rate and ensure higher rates of completion.”
We are encouraging our donors, friends, alumni and supporters to donate to SACF’s Resilience Fund or to support the SACF in other ways. To donate, please contact SACF executive director, Christina Romero at romero_christina@sac.edu or call (714) 564-6091.
About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which turned 100 years old in 2015, serves about 27,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions and provides invaluable workforce training and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 11,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.
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