CFCC Foundation luncheon attendees contribute $225,000

More than 600 invited guests packed the Schwartz Center at Cape Fear Community College today for the annual Gift of Education fundraising luncheon hosted by the CFCC Foundation. Before the event concluded, foundation executive director Margaret Robison announced that, among them, they had contributed $225,000.

The luncheon is a major means of raising money for scholarships, always a critical need for Cape Fear students. Lingering effects of the recession, and high unemployment within southeastern North Carolina, have led to increased requests for financial assistance. A recent survey of CFCC students revealed that, for the third year in a row, financial constraints were the number one reason that students did not complete their degree programs, according to a CFCC news release. In the fall 2011 survey, more than 18 percent of students who did not complete their program of study listed “financial hardship” as their reason for leaving school.

According to the CFCC financial aid office, 65-70 percent of students receive some type of financial aid, including scholarships, loans or Pell grants.

Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits donated meals for the event and also provided the main speaker. In his remarks, Bojangles' president and CEO Randy Kibler emphasized the need to support education and workforce training.
 
The Cape Fear Community College Foundation exists solely to support the students, teachers, programs and mission of the College.