Building Our Future Together
2021-2022 ANNUAL REPORT
The LBCC Foundation’s mission is to advance and promote excellence at LBCC by providing resources to support students, programs, services, and capital projects that are beyond the scope of the college general fund.
Board of Trustees
Officers
President: Joan Reukauf, Albany
Vice President: Chris Hanson, Albany
Treasurer: Stacie Wyss-Schoenborn, Albany
Secretary: Jo Ann McQueary, Sweet Home
Past President: Charlie Eads, Albany
Members
Marty Cahill, Lebanon Rose Peda, Sweet Home
Jeannie Davis, Lebanon Rick Petersen, Brownsville
Carolyn Gardner, Corvallis Dick Running, Albany
Celeste Krueger, Albany Dan Segel, Portland
Lauri Lehman, Philomath Penny York, Corvallis
Diane Merten, Corvallis
Ex-Officio
Lisa Avery, LBCC President
Sheldon Flom, VP, Finance and Operations
Beth Lyons, Classified Representative
Andrew Wynings, Director, Development and Operations
Joan Reukauf, President Board of Trustees
At the Linn-Benton Community College Foundation the true measure of our success is the students and the goals they are now able to pursue because of our community’s generosity. That’s why I get so excited when we put together our Annual Report for you. In this report, we’ve provided a small sample of the kind of impact education makes on the life of an individual. An impact that you, as a community member, helped to make possible with your generous support.
In 2021, the Foundation distributed a record $416,000 in scholarships to students. But the impact did not end at scholarships. The Foundation also supported the purchase of new equipment for classrooms, emergency support for students in financial distress, and the passage of a bond measure that will provide, among other things, a top-quality agricultural facility. Every day we are working with the community to provide students with the power of a great education so they can achieve
their dreams for the future – not just for themselves, but for their families and their community.
Should you have any questions about how you can make an impact on a student, please do not hesitate to call us at 541-917-4209. I invite you to visit our office on the Albany campus or talk with any of our board members. We can find a way to connect your own personal passion to an incredible future for an LBCC student.
On behalf of my fellow directors, and the Foundation staff, I am deeply grateful for your caring commitment, your kind generosity and your steadfast belief that together, we ARE making a difference.
Yannie Alvarez: ‘I think people should just try’
Some people like to read. Others are into movies. But for Yannie Alvarez, relaxing is all about creating art.
The Corvallis resident took a few art classes in high school and also dabbled on her own, drawing with phone apps and exploring painting with acrylics. The daughter of a LinnBenton Community College graduate whose sister also attended LBCC, she also decided to enroll at the community college and to check out the art classes while she was there.
She wasn’t sure what she’d find.
“I’ve heard horror stories of teachers telling students that they’re doing something wrong or that their drawing isn’t good,” she said. “I was met with a lot of supportive teachers and people who absolutely love art and didn’t think there was a right or wrong way to do art, or make art. Just having those teachers really pushed me toward wanting to pursue art as a career.”
After she graduated from LBCC last spring, Alvarez transferred to Western Oregon University where she is pursuing a degree in fine arts. A fan of both Pixar movies and the bright colors and clean lines of pop art, she’d love to be a professional artist or possibly explore animation as a career.
Pursuing higher education was always the plan, and Alvarez was eligible for financial aid, so she was relatively certain she’d be able to go to college.
What really helped, however, was an additional scholarship - especially after she lost one of her jobs to pandemic layoffs.
“I was applying for scholarships and thankfully I got one,” she said. “My mom, when she went to college, she relied heavily on scholarships.”
Alvarez said she highly recommends trying for any aid that might be available. The forms at LBCC were easy to fill out, she said, and apply to a wider population than an applicant might think. “I think people should just try,” she said. “Apply to as many as you can, even if you think you don’t qualify.”
Besides career support, Alvarez was especially pleased to find that the art teachers at LBCC were happy to share tips, techniques and recommendations for equipment. She particularly praised
instructor Anne Magratten’s efforts to create a welcoming environment where students can learn about various opportunities.
“All the teachers I’ve had are all artists themselves, which is super helpful because in the art community it’s kind of hard to really know different opportunities,” she said. “Online, there’s a lot of gatekeeping. It’s really inspiring to see teachers say, ‘oh, this is the brand I use, these are the brushes that work for me, they’re really expensive but they’ll last 10 years.’”
It also creates a collaborative atmosphere, she added, which helps everyone with critiquing.
“Seeing that they’re sharing their processes kind of inspires us to do the same.”
I want to show my daughter college is accessible for everyone
Johnny Media grew up thinking college was for a demographic that didn’t include him.
“In my youth, college was for other people. It was designed for people who were smart and wealthy, and it wasn’t an option for us,” said Johnny. “That’s what the world looked like to me growing up.”
Johnny’s parents had no education past high school. Both worked in factories. Johnny figured his life would look much the same.
But LBCC changed that view for Johnny. “The Foundation scholarships are a tool that help you get through the door to where you want to go.”
It took Johnny a long time to find that tool. He watched, impressed, as his brother, two years older, held down two jobs and simultaneously made progress toward a business degree. But he didn’t think he’d follow suit. Then his brother got sick. And everything changed.
Johnny’s brother caught strep throat, which morphed into encephalitis. In 2014, while in the hospital, he asked Johnny to make him a promise. “My brother’s and my last conversation in the hospital, he made me promise that we’d go back to school together, and that I’d do something I actually care about. So I promised.”
Although his brother didn’t get to go with him, three years later, Johnny decided it was time to fulfill that promise.
Like college itself, Johnny figured financial aid and scholarships went only to the best and brightest. However, after having to research financial aid for a class, Johnny filled out the application for LBCC Foundation scholarships.
The beginning of his winter term, he learned he’d be receiving $800. The money made the difference between completing the term and quitting school. He kept applying.
After graduating from LBCC with an associate’s degree in exercise/ sports science, Johnny transferred to the University of Oregon. There he realized that he wanted to focus on women’s sports because they are often overlooked.
As the father of a little girl, Johnny said that’s something he wants to change.
“I wanted to go do something I’m passionate about,” he added. “I want to show my daughter college is accessible for everyone regardless of what time you started—it isn’t outside the means of possibility—but also to show her that her demographic is important and matters.”
In addition to his studies at LBCC, Johnny had been a student ambassador and the legislative affairs director for Student Leadership. He used all those platforms to tell students like himself that LBCC is there for them.
“With as much help as I’ve received, it would be a disservice to the people around me if I didn’t do everything I could to share my story and let others know that college is meant for them, too. I can’t thank donors to the LBCC Foundation enough for being there to help us students survive and thrive.”
2021 Financial Snapshot
The LBCC Foundation is the only organization completely dedicated to expanding access to higher education and helping more people succeed through support of Linn-Benton Community College.
$403,447 $12,181 SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS GRANT AWARDS
Audited financial statements are available at: linnbenton.edu/annual-report
$2,491,272
A Year of Significant Accomplishments
Chinook Hall Opening
Sponsored the reception for the opening
New Endowments
Raised more than $752,000 during the 2021-22 school year to start new endowments
Awarded Record
Number of Scholarships
Foundation awarded nearly $416,000 in scholarships last academic year
2021-22
Bond
Supported the campaign for Bond passage
CARmencement
Provided license plate holders and cupcakes to grads
Colby Hill: ‘I want to help make people
When a student-athlete declares their intent to compete for a college on the field, they sign a letter of intent. Last spring Colby Hill signed a letter of intent with Linn-Benton Community College, but not as an athlete.
Colby along with nearly 50 other students were part of LBCC’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Signing Day where he signed a letter of intent to enroll in the Practical Business Management program.
“I just want to help make people better and make myself better,” said Colby. “And I think a business degree is a great way to do that.”
people better and make myself better’
Colby was recently back on campus for LBCC’s annual Welcome Day which offers a first chance to experience the Albany campus and learn about various student resources. And while there are always nerves before any new adventure, Colby can enter this one with a little piece of mind.
He was awarded a $2,500 scholarship from the LBCC Foundation courtesy of the Mid-Valley STEM Hub for the 20222023 school year.
“All I could say was, ‘Oh my goodness,’” said Colby. “It was so nice to find that out.”
Colby chose to stay close to home for college. After graduating from Santiam
Christian, LBCC seemed like an obvious fit for the Albany native. LB offered him a chance to continue his education near his family and it was a fraction of the cost of a four-year university.
Now with the help of the LBCC Foundation, college became a little more affordable.
“It definitely means a lot to get this scholarship,” said Colby. “I’ve seen my parents work super hard all my life and that has motivated me to work super hard in applying for scholarships.”
Colby is just starting his journey as a Roadrunner and he isn’t quite sure what the future holds for him yet. He’s got
time to work out the exact details because he already knows what he wants to do after graduating from LBCC: help others.
“I’ve always wanted to impact other people’s lives,” said Colby. “It brings me joy.”
LB alumna & member of the world’s most trusted profession
After two years of working in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Albany General Hospital, Ashley Planalp recently began a new position in ambulatory surgery. “I did what needed to be done when COVID was in full swing,” she said. “Now I’m ready for an easier schedule.”
Ashley graduated from LBCC in 2020—at the height of the pandemic—and went to work as one of Oregon’s newest registered nurses. The LBCC Foundation helped her get there.
“In all honesty, nursing programs are really hard. There are a lot of challenges, but at LBCC there is also a lot of support,” said Ashley.
“I had a car accident before one of my tests. The program reached out to help me apply for a scholarship
from the LBCC Foundation’s Olive Bridge Fund. They paid for the whole thing, including my $1000 deductible! I was shocked by the assistance, and really impressed.”
Ashley wasn’t the only nursing student who received funding. She and other students received assistance from the Boone Scholarship to help with licensing fees and other expenses at the end the nursing program.
Ashley took an indirect route to nursing. After completing a bachelor’s degree in service management and then having a change of heart, Ashley thought she would become a chiropractor. Her first pregnancy upended those plans. School was off the table at the time.
Later, a friend suggested nursing as a career.
Ashley was familiar with healthcare as a profession – she had worked as a
certified nursing assistant during college. Preparation for chiropractic school meant she already had completed numerous science courses and other prerequisites. Still, the idea was intimidating.
“I wasn’t sure I was smart enough to do it, but of course I was. I didn’t know much about nursing as a profession,” Ashley said.
She learned very quickly, under the most trying of circumstances.
“One of the best things about the LBCC Nursing Program is how much experience you get as you work toward your practicum. We didn’t get do a practicum, and our learning was online,” she described. “Everyone adapted. It was the same for everyone across the education system as they were all figuring out how to do emergency education.”
Ashley felt that piece missing when she began in the ICU.
“There were always five different things to do, and they all needed to be done now. It was hard. But when I look back, I realize how fast I learned.
The LB Nursing Program had taught her to be flexible.
“We learned it throughout the program,” she said, “and it serves you in the long run.”
Even now, hospitals are still catching up. “There’s a backlog of everything,” said Ashley.
“People had put off routine health maintenance and now they’re coming in sicker than ever.”
Regardless, Ashley is happy she chose nursing. “It’s the biggest payoff for two years of school. There’s so much you can do as a nurse, so many jobs. It’s also the most trusted profession … and it has been for decades,” said Ashley.
After what has happened over the past two years, it will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. And the LBCC Foundation will continue to support those who choose it as a profession.
The Impact of your Gift
transportation costs for a year
$15,000 endows a scholarship that will provide financial support to students for years to come
$5,124 Tuition & fees for a full-time student for a year
$1,708
$500 minimum cost to start an annual scholarship
$58.38 the average student emergency request
Ways to Give
Through the extraordinary generosity of alumni and donors, the LBCC Foundation remove barriers so that LBCC students have the means to pursue their dreams. The Foundation gives out thousands of dollars in scholarships each year. In 2022 the Foundation awarded nearly $416,000 to students in need.
Endowment Gifts
require a minimum one-time donation of $15,000, or $3,000 per year over a five-year period. Endowments are permanent funds which are invested and the earnings used for college or student assistance. For more information, contact the Foundation by email: foundation@ linnbenton.edu or call (541) 917-4209
Planned Gifts
can be intended for current use or endowments. Planned gifts include a variety of life income plans, stock plans, real estate gifts, trusts, wills, annuities and estate plans. For more information, email Jim Birken: birkenj@linnbenton.edu
6500 SW Pacific Blvd.
Albany, OR 97321-3755
