An anonymous $40,000 donation made to Gavilan College recently was also the largest one-time gift it has ever received, according to the college.
The check, which arrived in April, was addressed to President/Superintendent Kathleen Rose. The donation seemed at first to be made completely anonymously, but after some research it was revealed it was made by a former mentee and long-time friend of Rose in honor of her 40-plus years in higher education and her upcoming retirement.
“I reached out to the donor, and she made it clear she wanted to remain anonymous,” Rose said. “She was thankful for the guidance I provided in her career and never forgot that. The most important thing for her is for these funds to go to our most in need students at Gavilan. Therefore, it was quite an easy decision to immediately make $20,000 of the funds available to our basic student needs program on campus, El Centro, and the other $20,000 to the Gavilan Foundation for student scholarships.”
El Centro offers bi-weekly food distributions, financial literacy workshops, and CalFresh application assistance to people in both Santa Clara and San Benito counties, among other programs.
Annette Gutierrez, director of Basic Needs and Success, who manages Gavilan’s El Centro, said the El Centro Advisory Committee will be meeting soon to discuss how to best use the funds.
“I am so grateful to our anonymous donor for valuing the work of El Centro and recognizing how El Centro will contribute to student success,” she said.
Some ideas for these funds include:
• Expanding the product delivery program into the next year as current funding will expire on June 30.
• Providing transportation grants to students who need assistance through the basic needs referral form.
• Providing emergency utility grants to students struggling financially through the basic needs referral form.
