JUDY JENKINS
7/17/2006 The Henderson Gleaner

Henderson Community College is about to embark on the public phase of its 32-month-old "Fulfilling the Promise" major gifts campaign.

On Tuesday, campaign officials will make a public announcement regarding that phase and give an update of major gifts thus far received. The 1 p.m. event will take place in the Henderson Fine Arts Center's Scott Foyer. Plans for continuing fundraising efforts also will be outlined at that time.

All 16 member schools of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, (KCTCS), are conducting their own "Fulfilling the Promise" campaigns to meet a number of individual goals for each institution.

HCC previously has stated three campaign objectives:

- A campus Child Development Center to meet the needs of students with children, employees of local business and industry, and the community at large. That center also will provide a practical learning environment for students pursuing education studies.

- Student access/student success programs and scholarship endowment to meet the needs of an ever-growing enrollment.

- Technology infrastructure advancement to allow HCC to remain current with rapidly changing technology. Students will be trained on state-of-the art equipment and taught by faculty with appropriate credentials and expertise.

Tri-county businesses and industries are expected to benefit by having access to potential employees who have the cutting edge skills needed in today's workplaces.

A report published by KCTCS last year noted that, as of June 30, 2005, HCC had received pledges to be paid over a six-year period totaling $1,321,936. That figure included four pledges of $100,000 or more. The report recognized four area lead gift donors: Methodist Hospital, $210,000; Ohio Valley National Bank and the Preston Family Foundation, $175,000; a local couple who are contributing $100,000, and George Koch Sons Foundation, $100,000.

In January this year, a campaign official said the campaign coffers had grown since the KCTCS report was issued, but the updated total was not released at that time.

HCC has not previously announced a specific monetary goal for the campaign headed by local businessman Scott Davis, but a pre-campaign feasibility study recommended an initial fund-raising target of $3 million to $3.5 million.