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More than 250 people celebrated students
at the 14th Annual Student Success Campaign
Community Breakfast.
On the early morning of November 3, 2011,
more than 250 friends of the college,
faculty, staff and students met in the PUB
Main Dining Room for the SCC Foundation’s 14th
Annual Student Success Campaign Breakfast.
Every one of them was there to support
student scholarships, and support they did,
giving more than $45,000 in donations, a
record high. And, the Foundation was told to
expect more checks to come in.
Jane McNabb, Executive Director of the
Foundation says she was amazed at the
generosity of people to support Shoreline
students.
“I could actually feel the enthusiasm,”
she said. “I think it had a lot to do with
honoring one of our former students who not
only worked hard as SBA president for the
rights of students, but who went on to make
a difference in thousands of people’s lives
in his public position with the Mariners.”
“Hit a Home Run for Students” was the theme
for this year’s breakfast. Ichiro bobble
heads donated by the Seattle Mariners and
baseball cards covered the 31 tables for the
guests. SCC Foundation President, Scott
Saunders gave the welcome during the first
inning and introduced Dave Cunningham,
master of ceremonies, who did a superb job
engaging the audience with his quick wit,
humor and charm. Cunningham thanked the
Seattle Mariners who donated autographed
baseballs for the fundraiser in memory of
their beloved “Peanut Man,” Rick Kaminski,
former SBA President at the college. He
also recognized Scott’s Bar and Grill for
being an in-kind sponsor. College
trustees and Foundation Board members were
recognized along with local elected
officials. Special thanks was given to
Trustee Phil Barrett for sponsoring at the
President’s Level along with and other major donors.
President Lambert spoke briefly about the
importance of private support, especially
during these economic times, and thanked
everyone for supporting the College and its
students.
Representative Ruth Kagi was awarded the SCC
Foundation Distinguished Service Award for
her tireless support of higher education and
her vision and leadership that resulted in
legislation that solidified funding for at
risk youth in the CEO program at the
college. Rep. Kagi was not able to attend
the breakfast as she was in Washington,
D.C.; Foundation member Ken Noreen accepted
the award on behalf of Rep. Kagi.
Athletic Director Doug Palmer introduced
Marco Azurdia, Executive Director of NWAACC,
who talked about the commitment of the
organization to support student success.
His presence exhibited the importance of the
launching of the first athletic scholarship
at Shoreline. NWAACC scholarships are
limited to athletes who have residency in
only Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska and British
Columbia. Palmer then took the podium and
talked about the importance of scholarships
for all student athletes, explaining that
the most eligible students can get is 65
percent of tuition costs. “All our kids
have to work part-time jobs on top of
studying and playing sports.”
Student athletes Joseph Ademofe and Jenny
Voss captured the significance of the help
that donors provide. Ademofe, who left
Nigeria to move to Greece and eventually
Seattle, played soccer for Shoreline for two
years. He completed his GED and ESL classes
before starting his transfer program. He
asked Azurdia, with a smile, if he could
please change the NWAAC rules so that
students like him could get athletic
scholarships. After the breakfast, the
NWAAC director told him that he heard his
plea and would really try to see if somehow
the rules could be changed. Voss shared her
appreciation of the scholarships she has
received, which included the 2011-2012
Full-time Continuing Student, Hugh S Cannon
Foundation, and 2010 -2011 High School
Academic Scholarships from the SCC
Foundation; along with the SCC Merit
Scholarship from the College.
Palmer spoke highly of the athletic coaches
who give so much of their time to support
student athletes. “Often they use their own
money to recruit students,” he said. “They
do it because they love their sport and
working with young people. Their commitment
is above and beyond.”
Saunders returned to the podium to talk
about his relationship with Mr. Kaminski,
who he worked with during Kaminski’s tenure
as SBA president. The relationship became a
long friendship, one that Saunders says he
will always remember. He then introduced
Candi Keener, Kaminski's partner and thanked
the Foundation for the establishment of the
Rick Kaminski Athletic Scholarship.
Emcee Cunningham returned to the podium to
begin his stint as auctioneer; a role that
seemed to come naturally. The crowd enjoyed
his humor and responded well, purchasing the
signed Mariners baseballs with enthusiasm and large
donations.
Professor Diana Knauf really wowed the crowd
with a last call for student support. Her
warmth and dedication to Shoreline and its
students was felt by all. She accepted a
check in the amount of $2,000 and asked
others to give generously in support of SCC
students.
It turned out that, “Hit a Home Run for
Students” was the perfect theme for the
breakfast. The Foundation hopes to reach
$50,000 by the end of the campaign.
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