I MPACT :
E. Massie Valentine, Jr. I believe the future of Reynolds hinges on an important characteristic of its history, which is that we’re deeply embedded into the community. There’s a ubiquitous quality to the college. It’s striking how many people in Richmond have earned a degree through Reynolds, or taken a class or two; people who work with you and for you. This demonstrates we’re meeting the demands of students and businesses, too. Something I’m passionate about is growing our scholarship funding. We’re making progress, but there’s more to do. Most of our students work full or part-time. Even with financial aid, it can be a struggle to pay tuition. We also have students whose family income is just over the threshold to receive financial aid, and scholarships relieve some of that burden. This is something I care a lot about. Does Richmond have its challenges? Sure. What’s important is that Reynolds can be part of the solution. One example
The passion and commitment of the Educational Foundation Board of Directors is helping Reynolds serve more students than ever. Every Director, past and present, has expanded access to higher education and workforce training for people in our community.
is the Middle College program. The demand is much greater than the number of young people we can serve. These are young adults who want to and need to earn their GED. If we could do more to support programs like this one, we have the potential to make even more of an impact. Gary Rhodes is doing as much as anyone has ever done to try to connect with the business community. The boards he serves on and the relationships he’s built are getting the word out there. It’s really important that we have the business community’s involvement, because Reynolds either has trained, is training, or will train many of their employees throughout the entire region. I don’t have one particular memory of being taught that philanthropy is important. It was the way I was brought up, the church I’ve gone to, the schools I’ve gone to. I’ve always wanted to try and give back in some way.
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Educational Foundation, Inc.
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