90thgala

SAN BERNARDINO, CA (October 24, 2016) – On October 14, the San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) Foundation’s 90th Anniversary Gala brought hundreds of alumni, dignitaries and philanthropists to campus to celebrate SBVC’s 90th anniversary and to raise funds for student scholarships. At the end of the night, donors had contributed over $135,000 to help support programs ranging from athletics to music, as well as to provide low-income students with textbook vouchers.

“We disburse around $200,000 in scholarships to our students each year,” said Karen Childers, the foundation’s director. “The amount we have raised tonight has significantly exceeded our goal, so we are very excited.”

Augmenting the support raised by donors in attendance were two larger donations: $25,000 from Kitchell / BRJ and Associates and $300,000 from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The latter contribution was earmarked for Valley-Bound Commitment, a unique SBVC program which grants thousands of local high-school graduates a free first year of college, and which the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has supported since the program’s inception in 2008.

sanmanuelvbc 

(Left to right): Lindsay Wagner, emcee; Richard Beemer, SBVC Foundation President; Faun White, San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Program Officer; Diana Z. Rodriguez, SBVC President; Bruce Baron, SBCCD Chancellor; Karen Childers, SBVC Director of Development and Community Relations.

“I am proud to be affiliated with this community treasure,” said Emmy Award-winning actress Lindsay Wagner, a former SBVC professor who was the guest emcee for the event.

The gala was held in SBVC’s newest and biggest building: its 3-story, 108,000 square foot Kinesiology and Athletics Complex, which first opened to students in August 2016.

For more information and pictures, visit www.facebook.com/sbvalleycollege.