2020 - ECC Gala pushes student success fundraiser past $100,000 goal

Nearly 200 registrants and many more attendees participated in the Elgin Community College Foundation Gala Virtual Mas’k’erade: Dare to Dream event on Saturday, October 17. The live virtual event brought community members, students, faculty, staff, administrators, and friends of the college together to celebrate ECC’s resiliency since the start of the pandemic and to raise funds for the Student Success Fund.

The event was the final push needed for the Foundation to surpass its overall goal of raising more than $100,000 for the Student Success Fund by the end of 2020. The event garnered 162 unique donations, raising nearly $40,000 that night, pushing the overall Student Success Fund total to $107,904 raised to date. “As a local employer, we know firsthand the importance of ECC to our business and our community. This entire region depends on the success of ECC and its students,” said Gretchen Farb with the Hoffer Foundation, a lead donor for the Gala and the Student Success Fund. “The Virtual Gala was a fun way to donate to this worthy cause and to support ECC, which does so much for our community. Hoffer Plastics and the Hoffer Foundation are proud to support this worthy institution.”

David Davin, executive director of Institutional Advancement and the ECC Foundation, said, “All $107,000 plus will be going directly to students to ensure they can continue their education successfully. A donation to the Student Success Fund is a donation to the future health and viability of our community. Thank you to all who donated and continue to donate. Your support means everything to our students.”

In addition to student performances, the event honored several ECC Foundation award winners: ECC Distinguished Alumni of the Year, Linda Deering Dean (Class of ’81); ECC Friend of Education, Robert Malm; Exceptional Friend of the ECC Foundation, Adrienne Butler; and ECC President’s Lasting Impact Awards: Mike Shales and Ed Hunter.

As part of the gala theme, a Face Mask Contest was held with prizes going to Chris Mueller for the Most Unique mask, Jake Wolf for the Funniest mask, and ECC Police Chief David Kintz for the mask with the Most ECC Pride.

For anyone that missed the event, more information is available at elgin.edu/gala and donations are still welcome at elgin.edu/studentsuccess.