Tri-C Foundation luncheon raises $1.3 million

Tri-C Foundation, with the help of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, raised at least $1.3 million for scholarships at the university’s Presidential Scholarship Luncheon Nov. 1 at Renaissance Cleveland Hotel in Cleveland’s Tower City Center.

Gates also served as the keynote speaker of the luncheon.

Dollars generated at the event will crate scholarships for students pursuing careers in health care, information technology and manufacturing.

Since its inception in 1992, the Foundation’s Presidential Scholarship Luncheon has raised more than $19 million for Tri-C students.

“Every dollar represents an investment in the people of Northeast Ohio,” Trina Evans, chairperson of the Tri-C Foundation, said in a news release. “This is about providing the opportunity to achieve. Lives change from these scholarships and the generosity of foundation donors.”