The successful campaign to revitalize Richmond Community College’s Forte Building was strengthened by the significant support of two local foundations.
The Cole Foundation and the Richmond Community Foundation provided competitive grant awards totaling $90,000 to the Richmond Community College Foundation for renovation and expansion of the Forte facility, which will serve as a hub for high-skill job training, engineering and technology-centered academic programs.
“We know that many worthy applications are received by the Cole Foundation and the Richmond Community Foundation each year,” said RCC Foundation Executive Director Olivia Webb.
“We are humbled and extremely grateful to receive these grant funds,” she said.
The Cole Foundation was originally established in 1965 as a private foundation with gifts from Elizabeth S. Cole and her brother, Robert L. Cole, in memory of their parents, William B. Cole and Elizabeth Little Cole, and their sister, Catherine Cole. The Richmond Community Foundation was created in 2001 following the sale of Richmond Memorial Hospital to FirstHealth of the Carolinas. Both the Cole and Richmond Community Foundations are now permanent endowment funds of Foundation For The Carolinas.
“The longstanding support that RCC has received from the Cole Foundation and the Richmond Community Foundation is a source of pride and motivation,” said RCC President Dale McInnis.
“We strive to perfect our students’ educational experiences and to show prospective and existing industries that the workforce in RCC’s service area is well-prepared for 21st century jobs,” McInnis added.
“We rely on the dedicated, proactive philanthropy of great organizations such as the Cole Foundation and the Richmond Community Foundation to help us accomplish our mission,” he said.
The Forte Project is scheduled to break ground on Dec. 13, and the renovation and expansion will provide increased program offerings and class availability for RCC students in a wide variety of science, technology and engineering programs.
“This is a very worthwhile project for Richmond County and we are proud to support it,” said Russell Bennett, who serves as Chair of both the Cole Foundation and the Richmond Community Foundation Boards.
“The revitalization of this facility will increase educational opportunity and economic development in this region,” he said.
For more information visit www.richmondcc.edu.
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