Hazard Herald

Seven banks and their presidents in four different counties of Eastern Kentucky have pledged in excess of $1 million to Hazard Community & Technical College (HCTC) as part of their Fulfilling the Promise Major Gifts campaign, which celebrated raising more than $4.6 million dollars on Aug. 8.

"We have to be the envy of every college in America to have so many bankers who have given so much to our school," said HCTC President Jay K. Box. "Not only has the level of giving been phenomenal, so has the spirited and highly-gifted leadership from bank presidents in our region."

The banks and their gifts are:

Peoples Bank and Trust Company, in Perry County, $500,000 - Leon Hollon, president.

First Federal Savings and Loan in Perry County, $50,000 - Tony D. Whitaker, president

Hyden Citizens Bank, in Leslie County, $100,000 - W. Fred Brashear, president

First National Bank of Jackson in Breathitt County, $100,000 - Greg Lemons, president

Citizens Bank of Jackson in Breathitt County, $100,000 - Burt Bellamy, president

Bank of Hindman in Knott County, $50,000 - Valerie Smith Bartley, president

Community Trust Bankcorp, Inc., a statewide consortium of banks, contributed to the KCTCS system campaign. Jean Hale, Chairman/President/CEO of Community Bancorp, Inc. is vice chair of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) Foundation this year. That gift has been distributed to the colleges that have Community Trust Banks in their service area, which includes HCTC. Janice Brafford-King, Hazard Market President, was an important part of the leadership in the local campaign

In addition to the bank's contributions, significant personal pledges were also made by the bank presidents. A personal gift of $110,000 was given to the college by Peoples Bank and Trust President Leon Hollon and his wife, Sandy Hollon. A personal gift of $100,000 was given by Greg Wells, who is part owner of the newly-established First Trust Bank of Hazard. Fred Brashear and his wife Rhonda; Janet King and her husband Rick; Valerie Bartley and her husband Rich ; and Tony Whitaker and his wife Carolyn also contributed generously to the campaign. These bankers are also members of the Hazard Independent College Foundation board.

State government continues to decrease the amount of money given to colleges in Kentucky so the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), of which Hazard Community & Technical College (HCTC) is a part, has to increase tuition each and every year to fund the expense of running the college.

In response to a growing need, a fund raising campaign was started in 2004. The campaign was announced publicly in January 2006. This campaign is only the second major fund raising campaign in the history of the college.

HCTC President/CEO Jay K. Box was discouraged by seeing the lack of state support but greatly encouraged after he saw the response from his community. "We absolutely have to conduct fund raising efforts on the local level to meet the needs of our students," Dr. Box said, noting that many students enroll on a part-time basis and there historically has been no significant help for them. That has changed with the Fulfilling the Promise campaign because it allocates dollars for part-time students.

The "Fulfilling the Promise" campaign had five initiatives to improve education in the mountains. The money is targeted for: scholarships, equipment, to promote college preparedness through the Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky and to enhance the relationship and collaboration of teachers in schools districts in the region; to invest in the arts - starting music, graphic/visual arts and theatre at the different campus, along with enhancing the Kentucky School of Craft, and an unrestricted fund so the College can be flexible in addressing unforeseen needs. Many of the pledges cover a five-year period.

The General Campaign Co-Chairs were Leon L. Hollon, Chairman, President, and CEO of Peoples Bank and Trust of Hazard and W. Fred Brashear, President of Hyden Citizens Bank, in Leslie County.

Fred Brashear, who also serves as chair of the HCTC Board of Directors, said it was important to support these initiatives because education is so vitally important to the region's growth. "We can improve the quality of life in these mountains if education is improved," Brashear said. "Seeing the success of this campaign shows we have people committed to a better education for our people."

HCTC President/CEO Jay K. Box praised the work of Fred Brashear and Leon Hollon for their leadership. "We saw great success in a relatively short amount of time because of the incredible assistance from these two bank presidents who are deeply committed to seeing education improved in Eastern Kentucky," Dr. Box said.

Dr. Box noted, "Some people will donate their time; others will donate their money. When I see so many people willing to donate their time and money, I know I'm fortunate to be president of Hazard Community & Technical College. I commit to all to be good stewards of their investment. I know we're going to see the pay-off in this region."