SCCC Associate Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Engagement Sarah Thompson holds up her winning bid card during the live auction to raise scholarship funds.
Oct. 14, 2024 (Liberal, KS) – For the third year in a row, the SCCC Foundation’s Fall Festival broke the record for funds raised in a single night. That shouldn’t be a surprise because tickets were completely sold out, and nearly 400 guests showed up for the event itself.
The total? $117,064.90, with a mere handful of items left on the silent auction block. There were smiles all around, because the money raised goes to support student scholarships and college programs.
“This event is a longstanding tradition, and it just continues to grow,” said Teresa Randle, SCCC’s executive director of development and a former Saint. “It’s really good to see the community support and the genuine excitement people have when they do something to help our students.”
SCCC Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Sarah Thompson, who heads up the project, agreed.
“Last year we said there was no way we would break the record, and the year before that, I remember we were hoping to raise $100,000. Now, I look at this year’s total, and it’s hard to believe.” Thompson paused, and said, “I guess we should know that this is just how our community operates. People are incredibly generous.”
Randle said the auction provided a burst of energy to the Foundation office as it navigated an especially busy time of year: distribution of scholarship funds to the college, for the fall semester.
“Community support is just what we needed to see as we tackled all the paperwork that just naturally goes with disbursing funds,” she said. “It’s such a good feeling to see the direct impact it makes for our students here on campus.”
The most immediate changes to campus will come in the renaming of the Showcase Theater. Until the next auction in 2025, will be known as the Clifford and Irene Pepper Showcase Theater, in honor of the donors who gave the college its largest-ever bequest of more than $800,000 this year. The circle drive continues to be known as Jo Ann Sharp Drive. However, after three decades of offering naming rights for the circle drive, the 2024 was the last year the Board of Trustees will auction that item.
While the Foundation office prepares for its next big event, the December Donor Dinner, directors and staff are still savoring their sense of gratitude.
“We could never do this event without all our major sponsors, our volunteers, our donors, and the people who come out for the evening,” said Thompson. “We’re just really, really thankful.”
Categories: Alumni, Friends of SCCC, SCCC Foundation
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