Changing lives, building futures
Your Donor Newsletter Spring 2009 Fall 2009
Foundation News
Message from President and CEO Steven Helfgot It is, in some ways, hard to believe that we are now well into the fall and that the holiday season is clearly visible on the horizon. Our Foundation has been and continues to be busy.
• Message from the President • 2010 Hero of Education named • In Memoriam: Jack Pfister • Sandra Day O’Connor Scholarship Awarded
In late September we began the roll-up to our Heroes of Education 2010 Recognition Dinner (scheduled for April 7) with a kickoff reception. We introduced our 2010 honoree, Mayor Phil Gordon, to a crowd of more than one hundred. In its first four years, the Heroes of Education event has raised more than $500,000 for student scholarships, and we expect to add significantly Steven R. Helfgot, Ed.D.
to that total next spring. This November 19th, we marked a milestone with the dedication of our Donor Wall in the Foundation offices. Many of you are recognized on that wall. It is another way for us to say thank you for your generosity and to tell you how very much we appreciate your support of our Foundation, our colleges and, most of all, our students. Our community’s two public radio stations, KJZZ and KBAQ are operated by Rio Salado College and receive significant support from Friends of Public Radio. After several months of discussion between the Foundation, Rio Salado, station management and representatives of the Friends of Public Radio Board, our Foundation and Friends have entered into a new partnership. Friends will transfer its significant assets into a Foundation restricted —see Message page 2
Phoenix Mayor Gordon Named 2010 Maricopa Foundation “Hero” from the Heroes of Education Recognition Dinner support student scholarships through Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation.
2010 Hero of Education Mayor Phil Gordon
Mayor Phil Gordon was introduced as the 2010 Hero of Education at a September 23rd kickoff reception held at Morton’s Steakhouse in Phoenix. The Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation 2419 W. 14th Street Tempe, Arizona 85281
Mayor Gordon will be honored at the fifth annual Heroes of Education Recognition Dinner set for April 7, 2010, at the Arizona Biltmore Resort. A 6 p.m. reception will be followed by dinner at 7 p.m.
480.731.8407 If you would prefer our on-line edition of the newsletter send an e-mail to leticia.grahamcorona@domail.maricopa.edu
Sponsored by the Maricopa Community Colleges and Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, the fund-raising dinner honors those who have a proven personal and professional commitment to support the Maricopa Community College students and educational opportunities. Proceeds
“Phil Gordon is a wonderful advocate for education and an ideal person to be honored at our Heroes of Education dinner,” said Dr. Steve Helfgot, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation. “He has demonstrated his commitment to support education and the students of Maricopa County.” A student who has benefited directly from Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation was also recognized at the reception. Ottis Jackson-Alexander Liggins addressed the crowd of community leaders and talked about his background and efforts to succeed. He also expressed appreciation for Foundation scholarship programs that annually help thousands of students attend one of the Maricopa Community Colleges. Liggins is currently attending Phoenix College and is an alumnus of the ACE (Achieving a College Education) program for high school students. He is a recipient of both the MCBAA (Maricopa Council on Black American Affairs) Scholarship and the Adair Scholarship for African-American Males.
Jack Pfister – In Memoriam On July 20, 2009, Arizona lost a great leader and the Maricopa Community Colleges and Foundation lost a talented, generous and devoted friend. For 50 years, Jack Pfister worked tirelessly to make our community better. His name appeared on a seemingly endless list of commissions, councils, boards and committees. Each was important to him. He gave his best to every cause he championed and in the process brought the best out in others. That was certainly the case in his work with the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation. Over the years, he served as a member of our Board of Directors, including a term as Board President. He also chaired “Investing in Arizona,” our Foundation’s first comprehensive scholarship campaign. We didn’t just benefit from Jack Pfister’s association with our Foundation, we learned from it. And we weren’t alone. Jack ensured his legacy of leadership and service by exemplifying his own life and mentoring many employees, volunteers and emerging leaders in our community. The leadership and service that Jack’s life exemplified, are perpetuated in the many employees, volunteers and emerging leaders he mentored.
—Message Continued
account that will continue to support the important work of public radio at Rio Salado, and each organization will have a seat on the other’s board. We welcome this partnership and look forward to a long and productive relationship with Friends of Public Radio. Of course, our fund-raising efforts continue. We are in various stages of new efforts that include building a women’s philanthropy circle, having a scholarship program for homeless LGBT students, and helping recent high school graduates who indicated that they wanted to go to college but have not been able to do so. Our students — like so many others in our community — continue to experience significant challenges in these still difficult times. Our Foundation Board and staff remain strongly committed to helping as many students as we possibly can. The only reason we can do this is because of your generosity. We never forget that, and we always remain thankful.
Sandra Day O’Connor Scholarship Awarded On November 14, 2008, in the Phoenix College Bulpitt Auditorium, retired justice Sandra Day O’Connor delivered the keynote speech, Leadership and Life Lessons, at the Maricopa Community College District Leadership Breakfast. Out of gratitude for O’Connor’s generosity in giving her time at the Leadership Breakfast, the Maricopa Kimberly Ririe, Scholarship Recipient Community Colleges Foundation established a scholarship to be awarded to a female student attending one of the Maricopa Community Colleges with the intent of studying pre-law or a related field. The Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation congratulates Kimberly on her award and achievements and wishes her the best in her pursuit of higher education. Through the Sandra Day O’Connor Scholarship, the Maricopa Community College District and Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation are honored to “If I accomplish nothing commemorate O’Connor’s iconic else in my life, I wish to service to the State of Arizona and United States Supreme Court. teach my children that
they will find joy and The Maricopa Community Colleges fulfillment in kindness Foundation is pleased to recognize Kimberly Ririe as the first recipient of and serving others.” the Sandra Day O’Connor Scholarship in the amount of $2,000 for the 2009-10 academic year. Kimberly is a continuing student in the Honors Program at Phoenix College, where she is pursuing a degree in Paralegal Studies. Kimberly’s 4.0 GPA will undoubtedly prove valuable in her quest to transfer to ASU, earn a bachelor’s degree, and ultimately attend law school. Kimberly and her husband are parents of four children ranging in ages from eight to fifteen. Three of Kimberly’s children suffer from a rare lung disorder, and one struggles with a learning disorder. For Kimberly, this means frequent appointments with doctors, lung disorder treatments, an intense commitment to helping her children with homework, and staying up late to complete her own assignments. It also means she seldom has the opportunity to spend time with her husband, who works two jobs to support their family. “Despite these challenges, I stay involved in community activities,” says Kimberly. She serves on various parent committees at her children’s schools, plays an active role in her sons’ Cub and Boy Scout programs, and donates platelets every two weeks. Recently Kimberly was invited to be a Student Ambassador at Phoenix College. She also enjoys participating in quarterly church service projects, including clearing debris from park canals, making improvements at a domestic violence shelter, and volunteering at the Saint Vincent de Paul, Phoenix center. “If I accomplish nothing else in my life, I wish to teach my children that they will find joy and fulfillment in kindness and serving others,” says Kimberly, despite her own struggles.