Major donations launch fundraising campaign

Corliss and Bill are donating $10,000 to the campaign. The Hood River resident, who prefers to remain anonymous, has been a supporter of the college ever since its founding in 1976 and is matching their contribution with another $10,000 donation. These two major contributions will support student scholarships, and will be among the very first donations recognized on a new donor wall in the Columbia Gorge Regional Skills Center.

“It’s a chance for us to pay it forward,” Corliss explained. “The college is local, and we want to support local. We’re the products of a college education, and we want to be certain others have the opportunity too.

“Especially the skills center,” she added. “My husband Bill is an engineer, and we want to see more people in the trades.” Columbia Gorge Community College opened the skills center on its campus in The Dalles last fall. A celebration is planned for Sept. 10 (see related story).

Corliss studied to be a teacher at OSU, where she met Bill, an engineering student. They married in 1970. But teaching jobs were in short supply then, so Corliss worked in retail before becoming partner in a Portland fabric store. She was in that business for 17 years. Today, she enjoys helping others learn quilt-making skills, one of many ways in which she volunteers. Bill’s company specializes in industrial controls, a topic he occasionally teaches at CGCC.

“We’re all for the college,” Corliss said. “We were fortunate to have college educations. But we could work in the summer and pay for college. These days students can’t do that as easily,” since college costs a lot more, she noted. “They need help.”

With their combined scholarship contributions of $20,000, these two families are helping the foundation launch this ambitious campaign, recognizing how important scholarships are to student achievement.

“You can’t take your money with you,” Corliss observes. “You can help somebody else along the way and leave your legacy for the next generation.”

The foundation has grown its foundation capacity steadily over the years, said executive director Wendy Patton. “The foundation’s goal is to award scholarships to every qualifying student applicant,” Patton said. “CGCC is a community college for all ages and all backgrounds. It’s a way to learn new skills and test knowledge. It should be an opportunity for everyone in our community.”