PCC Foundation’s Annual “An Evening for Opportunity” Gala Raises $636,000
Portland, OR. At this year’s Portland Community College (PCC) gala, a sold-out crowd of 600 was taken on a “Voyage to Success”. The evening featured a steampunk theme, student speakers, and a choral performance by Julianne Johnson-Weiss and a group of PCC Sylvania students. Ross Leinhart, Janeese Jackson, Kimberly Cooper and Congressman Earl Blumenauer were on hand. The April 27th benefit at the Portland Hilton raised over $636,000 to support student scholarships. Since its inception in 2012, The PCC Foundation’s Evening for Opportunity has raised more than $3.4 million to help Portland Community College students achieve their dreams of entering the region’s workforce with a family-wage job and become contributors to a vibrant community. (Photo credit, Ronald Cooper and Tom Cook Photo)
Chris and Tom Neilsen, 2019 Patron Award Honorees
PCC President Mark Mitsui addresses supporters
Christy Gardner, PCC Foundation board member John Gardner and former member of the Oregon State Senate and The Campaign for Opportunity Committee Volunteer Chip Shields
PCC Music Department Co-Chair Julianne Johnson-Weiss, Billy Ladd and PCC Elected Board Chair Kali Thorne Ladd
After party entertainers the MarchFourth marching band.
The crowd also celebrated the launch of PCC’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, The Campaign for Opportunity, a movement toward a sustainable, equitable future for Oregon.
“PCC’s Campaign for Opportunity will provide thousands of students with critical
education, and our businesses with the skilled, trained workers we all depend on,” said PCC President Mark Mitsui. For more information, visit pcc.edu/opportunity.
From PCC:
Portland Community College is the largest, most accessible institution of higher education in Oregon. Every year, the college serves about 70,000 students, who go on to become our community’s nurses, firefighters, welders, Web developers, teachers and more.
As the only nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Portland Community College, the PCC Foundation helps students access education by awarding scholarships and building the capacity of PCC to provide vital educational opportunities for our community.
