One of the largest donations in the Long Beach City College Foundation’s history came in the form of a property worth $1 million from a local couple.
The couple, who requested anonymity, are both alumni from Long Beach Unified School District, LBCC and Cal State Long Beach, according to a release. The proceeds from the recently sold residential property will be set aside for the Long Beach College Promise, which gives LBUSD high school graduates a free first year of tuition at the city college.
The Promise has been in effect since 2008 and while the couple did not personally benefit from it, they wanted the proceeds from their house to go directly to the scholarship program, LBCC Foundation Executive Director Elizabeth McCann said.
“This family really embodies the concept of the LB College Promise before there was one,” McCann said.
The $1 million will be one of the first gifts that will establish a “significant” endowment for the Promise — and the largest for the program.
“This generous gift will help alleviate so many students’ concerns about how they will pay for tuition their first year at Long Beach City College. I hope this wonderful couple realizes that this is an incredible investment in our future,” said LBCC Superintendent-President Reagan Romali in a release.
The initial “Gateway to Greatness” fundraising campaign for the program that raised $6 million in 2008 is running out of money.
The foundation commits about $500,000 per year to the Promise. It costs about $1,100 per year for full-time tuition at LBCC.
The foundation will likely launch another campaign in the near future for the program, McCann said.