PCC Gala Raises More Than $500,000 for Student Support

PORTLAND, OR – At its sixth annual Evening for Opportunity Gala last month, the Portland Community College Foundation raised more than $500,000 to assist students with scholarships and success programs, according to PCC spokesman James Hill.

At Pure Space, an urban event venue in Northwest Portland, PCC foundation officials hosted roughly 500 people on April 22. Together, the attendees raised $514,000 to help mitigate the myriad financial challenges faced by PCC students –– many of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

According to PCC officials, out of the college's 90,000 students more than 40 percent are first generation. In 2015, the foundation awarded $1.1 million in scholarships to 1,100 students.

"It's our community of supporters that sustain our scholarship and support programs, which make a difference in the lives of our students, their families and future generations," Marion Levitan, the Foundation’s board president, said in a statement.

The foundation awarded $1.1 million in scholarships to 1,100 students in 2015.

The 2017 Patron Award Winner, Oregon State University Professor Emerita Betty Duvall, was also honored at the gala for her work in education and longtime support of student success, which includes time spent as PCC dean as well as her role as the first-ever Community College Liaison for the U.S. Department of Education.

Photo Courtesy: James Hill, Portland Community College