‘Impact LIFE South Georgia Tech’ is theme for TechForce 2015 Fund Drive

Published 9:36 pm Tuesday, September 29, 2015

“Impact LIFE @ South Georgia Tech” is the theme for the South Georgia Technical College Foundation’s 2015 TechForce fund drive and foundation members are hoping that everyone will give generously to provide a positive impact on the nearly 20,000 lives touched each year by South Georgia Technical College.
The South Georgia Technical College TechForce 2015 fund drive will “Impact LIFE @ South Georgia Tech” by providing scholarships for deserving and financially disadvantaged students, purchase textbooks to be provided at no cost for students to use each semester, and allow the college to purchase additional software for the LIFE (Learning is for Everyone) tutorial labs on both the Americus and Crisp County Center campuses.  The drive will also help provide program equipment for the new unmanned aerial systems (UAS) or Drone maintenance technician program that will give aviation maintenance students the opportunity to learn how to repair drones or unmanned aerial vehicles.
The drive officially begins September 21st.  Members of the South Georgia Technical College Foundation and the SGTC Board of Directors as well as other volunteers will be making contacts with community leaders asking for support of the fund drive again this year.  Postcards and solicitation letters have been sent out to community leaders asking for support.  SGTC Foundation Trustee and Development Committee chairman John Argo is head of the TechForce 2015 drive for the Foundation.
Over the past 16 years more than $4 million dollars have been raised through private donations to purchase needed equipment for 26 programs on the Americus and Cordele campuses as well as help fund scholarships and textbooks for deserving and financially disadvantaged students as well as needed renovations to the SGTC existing dormitories and the new Energy and Transportation Center.
South Georgia Technical College is vital to the communities it serves and has been a key factor in educating students for the workplace through a quality technical education since its inception in 1948. Support for the college from the foundation, individuals and business and industry has been an important part of the college’s overall success.
Each year, the South Georgia Technical College Foundation solicits donations from community members to help purchase state-of-the-art equipment and special projects for the college.  This year the foundation’s goal is to raise $150,000.
All donations to the South Georgia Technical College Foundation TechForce 2015 fund drive will be matched dollar-for-dollar by various grants and the Technical College System of Georgia funds.
“The South Georgia Technical College Foundation is a vital part of our college’s success,” explained South Georgia Technical College President Sparky Reeves.  “We appreciate the support that we receive from the community through the foundation fund drives.  This support has made a tremendous impact on the lives of our students and that in turn has helped impact each of the communities we serve.”
The TechForce 2015 fund drive officially begins September 21st, but the drive has already gotten off to a good start with the help of business and industry partners and local supporters who have donated items for the SGTC Foundation Internal TechForce drive, luncheon and silent auction.  Each year nearly 100% of the SGTC employees contribute to the TechForce drive through payroll deduction or direct donations.
Over $400,000 of the $4million raised by the TechForce campaigns over the past 15 years has been donated by South Georgia Technical College faculty and staff.
The TechForce 2015 Internal Committee includes:  Co-Chairs Vanessa Wall and Dave Finley; team members Valerie Winheim, Carrie Wilder, John Wilder, Kyle Hartsfield, Paul Fitzgerald, Teresa McCook, Andrea Ingram, Gail Clary, Minnie Williamson, Victoria Herron, Tami Blount, DeAndra Robinson, Teresa O’Bryant, Shelly Godwin, Michele Seay, Randy Greene and Brenda Butler.
For more information about the TechForce 2015 fund drive or to make a donation to the Foundation, contact South Georgia Technical College Foundation Executive Director and SGTC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Su Ann Bird at 229.931.2110 or sbird@southgatech.edu.  Donations can be mailed to the SGTC Foundation, P.O. Box 6102, Americus, GA 31709. (SEE AD BELOW)