The Westchester Community College Foundation celebrated its 50th anniversary at a gala dinner on Wednesday, November 13 at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown. The keynote address was presented by Wellington Mackey (pictured with WCC President Belinda S. Miles); Mackey is a former homeless student who has gone on to Yale Law School. On the same evening, the Foundation announced the launching of the largest fundraising campaign in its history. This historic, star-studded event included a guest list of local dignitaries who celebrate the contributions of the Foundation, which began in 1969.
“On this momentous occasion, I stand in proxy for all those students you have impacted in such a positive way over five decades. What you provide is absolutely integral to the continued success of this community and to the success of those who pass through its halls,” Mackey told the audience of donors and other friends of the college and the Foundation.
Now in his first year at Yale Law School, Mackey’s compelling story personifies the drive behind the mission of the college’s Foundation. The first in his family to attend college, he thrived here, becoming a 2014-15 Kathryn W. Davis Global Scholar, participating in the Cambridge Study Abroad program, and ultimately accepting the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholarship which enabled him to attend Yale University where he earned his B.A. last year. He also recently received the Osher Foundation Award for excellence in scholarship and was awarded a Yale Law School summer fellowship.
His story is an example of the way that the Foundation has supported students, and the entire institution, over five decades. In addition to providing millions of dollars in scholarships (nearly 20,000 students have received more than $24 million in scholarships), the Foundation has been responsible for raising funds for faculty support and infrastructure. Thanks in large part to donations from private citizens and corporate entities which came through the Foundation, the college was able to double the size of its library, open the $40 million Gateway Center, and construct the Virginia Marx Children’s Center.
Also, the Foundation manages the 600-member Volunteer Corps, the Native Plant Center, and the Alumni Association.
The Pathways Campaign, the largest fundraising campaign in the college’s history ($50 million), will raise funds for additional resources geared toward student success.
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