About Lane Community College Foundation

Mission

In support of Lane Community College,

• We inspire donors to invest in Lane Community College's power to transform lives;
• We build relationships with community and college stakeholders;
• We manage and grow our endowment;
• We ensure the appropriate use of all funds; and
• We increase access to quality education through student scholarships

Vision

Lane Community College Foundation is dedicated to making education affordable and accessible to all community members. We help bring dedicated donors who support educational opportunities and are committed to investing in the long-term growth of our community.

Invest In Lane. Invest In Success.
 

Our Leaders

Wendy Jett, Foundation Director

Lane Community College is now over 50 years old and has touched the lives of multiple generations of families. One of the best parts of my job is working with Lane’s original donors, their children, and even their grandchildren – families who give together and build upon each other’s legacy. Whether it is a family deciding to create an endowment with a major gift, one that gives small amounts over time, or one that includes Lane in their estate – what is important is that family members are discussing their philanthropic choices and sharing their passions and values with their children. 

I remember a luncheon we hosted to bring together the scholarship recipients and family members of Bernice Ingalls Staton, who established a significant scholarship endowment during her lifetime.  Multiple members of her family were present; they came to meet her scholarship recipients and to ensure those recipients know that the entire family supports them.  One of the family members brought his young daughter, Bernice’s great-granddaughter.  He told me he did this so that she could see how important these scholarships are and  how this gift has changed so many lives.  He brought her to witness the impact of his family’s work, so that she could absorb it and carry that feeling forward in her own future choices.  It was an inspiring moment.  When that young girl spoke with scholarship recipients, faces lit up on both sides.  Our scholarship recipients, some of whom don’t have family support of their own, felt the very real commitment from this family.

There are many families who support Lane together, families like the Tykesons and the McKays, who are highlighted in this report. There are also many families who come to Lane to grow and learn together. You will read some of those stories in the following pages as well.  

When you make a gift, no matter how large, you are making a choice that transforms not only the life of a student or the success of a program, but all the lives that are touched by them.  It is a choice that also affects your own family.  A gift of money or time is an expression of the values you hold, values that can be passed down from parent to child.  That is one of the most wonderful aspects of giving – you cannot do it in isolation.  You are connected, whether to your own family members or to your Lane “family.”

Thank you for the continued support you and your family give to Lane.  

Mary Spilde, President, Lane Community College

Family is an integral part of Lane Community College.  Siblings, parents and children, cousins, and other relatives often share the experience of a Lane education.  I have met students who are the second, or even the third generation in their family to attend Lane, and others who are the first in their family to go to college. I have met older adults inspired to complete their education because of their child’s experience here.   When families embrace higher education together, the chances of success are so much greater.

For many of our students, Lane is their only safe space and our faculty, staff, students, and donors become their family.  This “family” is no less real, and no less critical to their success.   Whether it’s a cohort of students in our Women’s Program, a staff member in the Veterans Center, a mentor in our Multicultural Center, an inspirational teacher, or a generous scholarship donor, students can find encouragement, assistance, and people who truly care about them.

A few short weeks ago, our campus family came together to celebrate the grand opening of our renovated campus core.  This transformative project included our library, tutoring center, quiet study space, and food services, as well as, our well-known culinary student restaurant, the Renaissance Room.   During the festivities, I saw students studying in our new group study rooms or in the large quiet study space.  I saw instructors teaching in renovated smart classrooms, librarians working to answer questions, and student leaders hard at work in their new space for student activities and government.  I also saw donors and their families visiting the spaces they helped to fund, and community members coming together to celebrate what we have achieved together. 

I encourage you to come and see this new space, and if you look to the right of the main entrance on the outside of the building, you will see something special.  There is a new “wall of honor” which displays the names of the numerous Lane retirees, permanently recognizing them as part of our Lane family. 

You may have heard that I plan to retire in June 2017.  We have a lot to do before then, but while my role in the Lane family may ultimately change, my commitment will not.  Thank you for your commitment and all that you do to create family and community here at Lane Community College.