Darla Abraham has seen a lot of people come in to her Continuing Education office on Auburn’s Green River Community College campus over the years, their whole demeanor brimming over with hope that, given just a bit more training, or a certification, they could get that forklift job, that flagger job, that health care position.
All that separates them from taking the class and realizing that future may be $45, or in the case of forklift training, $175.
Unfortunately, Abraham gets to breaks the news that there’s no funding, not a penny in scholarships for non-degree, work-related classes like that.
Saying that, says Abraham, program coordinator for Continuing Education, is like “taking a sledgehammer to people’s lives. It crushes me, absolutely crushes me.”
Fresh from one of those “sledgehammer experiences,” Abraham brought her frustrations to a meeting of the GRCC Foundation’s Employee Giving Program. To shorten the story, that’s when people began to talk about a new scholarship. Not only new but also different, owing to where it would set its sights – at those same continuing education, work-related, non-degree programs.
Green River Community College Foundation has agreed to contribute to the scholarship, but Continuing Education is about to pitch into a series of fundraisers.
The first is a July 4 poker tournament hosted by the Auburn Eagles Aerie 2298, 702 M St. SE. It was the Eagle’s idea to make the event the “first annual poker tournament.” Not only are the Eagles providing the venue but also the license.
To “push the scholarship forward”, Abraham said, the event needs to draw in 200-to-300 poker afficionadoes. The buy-in will be $40, and all that money goes back out in prize money.
The cash payout will be to 10 places. For the $40 buy-in, players receive $5,000 in plate chips. They can buy extra chips, too, $10 for another $1,000. All the extra chip money goes into the tournament.
A raffle is also in the works. Local businesses have agreed to donate gift certificates, services, baskets and more. People need not be present at the drawing to win. Tickets will be sold at GRCC’s Auburn, Kent and Enumclaw campuses.
“Our modest goal is to raise about $5,000, and the Foundation is going to be behind that,” said Bob Embrey, GRCC Director of Corporate and Continuing Education. “We hope to have $10,000 to $20,000 in the scholarship by the end of the year. It’s going to help some of the people that can’t afford to take some of the short-term classes but want to get out in the work force and need the training that we offer.
“We’re talking about any kind of vocational training GRCC does in Continuing Education,” excluding community education classes like pottery and art, Embrey said.
Like any other community college in Washington State, Continuing Education is part of GRCC’s mission.
“We’re out in the community in a big way doing non-traditional education sorts of things,” Embrey said. “I’ve been in the community college system now for more than 18 years, and I’ve had that sinking feeling in my stomach so many times to have to tell someone I wish there was something we could do. This is a way to kind of meet that need.”
“We’re not talking about huge amounts of scholarships,” Abraham said. “Most of the work-related, community education is not too expensive. But a few hundred dollars can make or break people. We’re just trying to accumulate a modest amount of money so if the need arises, we can do something for folks.”
While some students with vocational training do get covered by Work Force, Work Source or Work First, this is strictly for those who fall through the cracks.
“It’s going to pick up what traditional financial aid does not. Historically, there’s never been any kind of scholarship money like that. I’ve had to say ‘no’ to people about taking a class because it came down to no assistance, ‘Do I feed the kids, or do I get the training I need to get the job I need to feed the kids?’ Well, the kids are hungry right now. My heart just breaks for them,” Abraham said.
