Community supporters and alumni recognized at GCC event

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Community College honored community members who have made an impact on the college, as well as alumni who have made a difference in the community, during the annual “Building Bridges & Belonging” dinner on Thursday.

The event, held at the Cohn Family Dining Commons, served as a fundraiser for the GCC Foundation, which, according to its Executive Director Alexis Page, helps make education a reality for students. While Massachusetts made community college free for all residents without bachelor’s degrees in 2024, getting a degree requires more than just tuition.

“The GCC Impact Fund is one of our most versatile tools for supporting this kind of student success. It helps us invest in innovation and respond to emerging challenges in real time,” Page told attendees. “While public funding covers the classroom, it’s really the generosity of people like you that gives us the flexibility to meet our students’ needs and help them reach graduation.”

GCC President Michelle Schutt said the foundation supports students facing housing or food insecurity, child care issues and other needs to ensure success in the classroom.

“Free community college in Massachusetts has opened up doors, and we celebrate that progress, but tuition was never the greatest barrier for students attending community college,” Schutt said. “Housing instability, food insecurity, transportation breakdowns, child care gaps — a single unexpected event can derail an entire education. Access without support does not equal success.”

The Community Champion Award was presented to the MassHire Franklin Hampshire Career Center for supporting workforce development programs at GCC and assisting students in finding careers post-graduation.

GCC Dean of Workforce Development Alex Carley said MassHire is a longtime partner of the college, providing resources to students and non-students alike in seeking jobs throughout the region.

“The MassHire team, under the deeply committed, collaborative and innovative leadership of co-executive directors Sarah Wilson and Maura Geary, provides employment and training services at no charge for our community members after those precarious and vulnerable moments: unemployment, relocation in the area, career shifts or re-entering the workforce after a long time away,” Carley said. “Their impact is truly immeasurable, and they really do live up to that GCC mission of changing family trees, one student, one job seeker at a time.”

The Community Catalyst Award was presented to Wendy Sibbison, who was inspired to raise money for GCC’s food pantry after reading a My Turn written by Mike Hannigan that discussed the impact of food insecurity on students.

“For many students, the difference between graduating and dropping out can simply be having enough to eat. When moving federal funding threatened GCC’s food pantry, Wendy Sibbison did not just notice the need, she took action,” Schutt said. “She mobilized friends and family members to raise over $10,000, ensuring the pantry remained stocked with healthy, local food. Because of her leadership, students can focus on their dreams instead of their next meal.”

Sibbison, a member of the Franklin Community Co-op’s board of directors, said she was honored to receive the award, and she would like to continue strengthening ties between the co-op and the college.

“Most of you know the co-op plans to expand in the [former Wilson’s Department Store]. That plan includes a standalone community room and a teaching kitchen. My fantasy is that the co-op and GCC will work together on cooking and nutrition classes for students in our teaching kitchen, showing them how to make healthy, delicious meals with food from their own corner market,” Sibbison said.

The Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Thomas Crossman, Class of 2011. After completing his degree, Crossman launched his real estate company, Crossman Properties. He has also served on the board of directors for the Amherst Boys and Girls Club and Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity

He said his success at GCC was, in part, due to the belief and generosity of his community, including a teacher who made him promise to finish his degree after seeing him struggle to balance a full-time job and class, and friends who helped him pay tuition when he lost his job.

“This was an example of my community caring for me, more than I cared for myself,” Crossman said. “These experiences are prominent, pivotal moments in my life that add gravity to what community means to me. Without those individuals providing the additional support needed, I would not have been able to finish my education.”

The Young Alumni in Action Award was presented to Christian LaPlante, Class of 2019. Following his time at GCC, LaPlante went on to finish his studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and then took a job in Greenfield’s Community and Economic Development Department.

“Today, Christian serves in a pioneering role as the region’s first-ever downtown district coordinator, acting as a bridge between the municipal process and small-business realities, and coordinates strategy for Northfield, Shelburne Falls and Turners Falls,” Schutt said. “His impact ranges from launching a holiday passport program to boost more shopping, substantially increasing tourist visitation to Shelburne Falls. Whether he’s assisting a local farmstand with signage or presenting at regional conferences, Christian’s leadership is defined by practical strategy with human-centered sincerity.”