Mesa Community College Receives Significant Monetary Gift from Special Olympics Arizona

Mesa Community College recently received a $110,000 gift from Special Olympics Arizona to establish an endowment for students with disabilities.

This gift will serve as a permanent base of revenue for MCC’s Disability Resource Center, allowing them to expand the number of scholarships offered. In addition, the Center will hire tutors, purchase specialized software for students, provide note takers for those needing assistance in class and more.

“This is a generous gift from Special Olympics Arizona for learners with disabilities at MCC. The endowment will grow even larger over time and is a unique resource for our students,” stated Jared Langkilde, Director of Development at MCC. He added, “It provides not only scholarship funding but also assistance for disability testing, certification, tutor assistance, software, hardware, and any other critical resource requisite for a college education by a student seeking support from MCC's center for Disability Resources and Services.”

The MCC Disability Resource Center provides extensive services at no charge for students with a variety of documented disabilities. They assist students by providing accommodations and comprehensive support services to assist them in developing self-empowerment, self-advocacy and self-esteem.

Dr. Shouan Pan, President of MCC expressed his appreciation, "MCC is pleased to be a partner with Special Olympics Arizona. This gift will help to provide MCC students with the services they need to further their educational goals and successfully complete a college education.”

MCC and Special Olympics Arizona have been partners since 2009. Each year, MCC hosts the Summer Games, providing children and adults with intellectual disabilities an opportunity to compete and develop self-belief. This year, MCC will host the event April 25-27.

Tim Martin, President and CEO of Special Olympics Arizona, Inc. said, “The athlete is the core of Special Olympics Arizona.  It is our desire to provide for and enhance our existing programs while seeking new and innovative programs to challenge our athletes.   As part of this initiative, Special Olympics Arizona and the Maricopa Community College Foundation have partnered for the last five years to create an endowment for the support of adults with intellectual disabilities, creating opportunities for higher education, social inclusion and the chance to achieve their personal goals.”

About Mesa Community College

Mesa Community College provides outstanding transfer and career and technical programs, workforce development, and life-long learning opportunities to residents of the East Valley area of Phoenix, Arizona. MCC excels in teaching, learning and empowering its more than 40,000 students who attend annually to succeed in a local and global community.  Mesa Community College is one of ten colleges that comprise the Maricopa County Community College District.

Please direct media inquiries to Angela Askey at angela.askey@mesacc.edu or Sally Mesarosh at sally.mesarosh@mesacc.edu  or the Office of Institutional Advancement at 480-461-7445.  IA website:  www.mesacc.edu/ia.

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Source Details

Publication Date: 
Thursday, March 7, 2013