Great ambition and lofty goals have never been in short supply at Lethbridge College.
Whether it was the vision that early founders had in creating Canada’s first publicly-funded community college, or the quick and thoughtful responses over the years to the changing needs and demands of industry and the community, the college has a long history of aiming high and ultimately achieving its objectives.
This year’s launch of Lethbridge College’s most ambitious fundraising campaign in its 57-year history illustrates this same tradition. The bar has been set exceptionally high: the college is working to raise $103 million – including $25 million from the private sector. That money will be used to renew the campus’s aging trades and technology facilities, support the environmentally-innovative Kodiak House residence, reimagine the college’s library and learning space, increase access to student awards, and focus on emerging priorities in programming excellence.
And the college is well on its way to achieving that impressive goal. At the May campaign launch, college officials announced that more than $13 million of that $25 million private sector goal had already been raised. In fact, on the day of the launch, college leaders had the pleasure of announcing three gifts totalling $1.6 million in support of the campaign.
This fundraising effort will shape the look and work of the college for decades to come. “An investment in Lethbridge College today is an investment in the future of our students, our partners and our local and global community,” said Dr. Paula Burns, Lethbridge College president and CEO. “It’s an opportunity we hope the whole community will embrace – just one of many opportunities that are waiting at Lethbridge College.”
With the May announcement, the college has now moved into the active, public phase of its fundraising effort. All five targeted areas will benefit from the support given by members of the community, alumni, industry partners and even Lethbridge College employees. The college’s previous major fundraising efforts included TEC 2000 in 1999, which raised close to $4 million for a third floor on the technologies building, and Making Dreams Real in 2005, which raised close to $2 million for scholarship initiatives.
