GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College Foundation kicked off its annual “Opening Doors to the Future” fundraising campaign Thursday morning, with speeches from both a brand-new and a longtime face at the college.
The 2016 campaign has established the goal to raise $825,000 in support of students and programs at the college by May 31.
President Bob Pura told a story about violinist Joshua Bell, who had just completed a sold out performance at Symphony Hall, and was on his way to perform with the DC Symphony when the Washington Post asked him to play his violin in the subway wearing a baseball cap.
Few did more than throw the occasional coin in the case and even fewer stopped to listen. None noticed that it was Bell.
Pura contrasted the event to what happens at GCC, noting that the staff routinely sees the potential in each student before they may have realized it themselves, then work to help them cultivate it.
“Our students enter GCC with dreams, talents and the courage to hope,” Pura said. “GCC faculty and staff then see our students’ potential, often even before the student does, and together they work to achieve it.”
“You and all in our community open the doors and provide the opportunity,” he continued, before introducing Tim Canning to perform “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” on his ukulele.
The new face was Nicole Fahey, daughter-in-law of Rich Fahey, both of whom will co-chair the campaign.
Fahey said her connection to GCC began as many other Franklin County residents’ had: as a student. She said no matter how shy she was at first, the friends and mentors she met there quickly brought her out of that shell.
GCC gave Fahey the opportunity to go on and obtain a bachelor’s and master’s degree elsewhere, she said.
“We all have a story about how (GCC) has impacted our lives in some way, and in turn, improved the lives of all that live here, and our mission now is to share these stories,” she said.
She noted how she’s seen many inmates from the Franklin County House of Corrections, where she works, go on to achieve success at GCC and better their lives.
“Our success as campaigners is measured by more than dollar amounts on a spreadsheet,” she said, “but will also be seen and felt as a lifelong investment in the vibrancy of our community.”
Greenfield Community College serves 5,500 students at five locations throughout Franklin and Hampshire Counties.
For more information about the foundation and supporting the annual campaign, go to www.gcc.mass.edu/give or contact Regina Curtis, executive director of Resource Development and GCC Foundation, at 413-775-1600.
You can reach Tom Relihan at: trelihan@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 264
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