SWTC News Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kim Schmelz, External Relations & Alumni Development Phone: 608.822.2379 Mail: 1800 Bronson Blvd., Fennimore, WI 53809 Date of Release: September 1, 2020
Southwest Tech students benefit from two United Fund of Iowa County grants Fennimore -
The Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Foundation received two grants totaling $3,500 from the United Fund of Iowa County this year to benefit students in need. The first grant award was in the amount of $3,000 to support the Charger Dream Fund, a program the UFIC has been supporting for six years. With this recent grant award, the UFIC has generously donated more than $13,000 in those six years to the foundation’s Charger Dream Fund and Dreamkeepers program, the program that preceded the Charger Dream Fund.
The Charger Dream Fund was established with a grant from Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation to provide small emergency grants up to $500 to help students weather financial emergencies and allow them to stay in school.
For the 2019-20 fiscal year, 124 students were served by the Charger Dream Fund. Nine percent of those were students from Iowa County. One of the grant recipients was a nursing student whose computer quit working shortly after she started the program. She had just reduced her hours at work when returning to school and wasn’t expecting this expense right away. The Charger Dream grant allowed her to purchase a new laptop from the campus bookstore and continue with her program.
The second grant was awarded during the UFIC’s recent COVID grant period. The UFIC granted $500 to the Southwest Tech
Foundation Support Our Students (S.O.S.) fund. The grant assisted a student taking summer courses. She was trying to work as many hours as possible, however the facility she was working at could not always guarantee the number of hours she needed in order to pay for rent and utilities. When she tested positive for COVID and had to quarantine, she didn’t have enough money saved to keep paying all of her bills and reached out for support. The foundation was able to pay $500 towards her rent with the S.O.S. fund.
“We are so appreciative of the ongoing support of the United Fund of Iowa County,” said Kim Schmelz, director of External Relations and Alumni Development. “Not only have they allowed us to support current students but they also allow us to allocate a portion of their support to our endowment so that we can sustain the needs of future students. Because of the UFIC students are able to continue their education and learn about resources so they can be better prepared for future emergencies.”
The mission of the UFIC is to lead a united effort that improves the quality of life in their community by striving to support community health and human service needs and to raise awareness and distribute financial resources.
For more information on how to support the Charger Dream Fund or other support funds and scholarships, contact the Southwest Tech Foundation at 608.822.2379.