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Posted: Oct 15, 2019 12:45 PMUpdated: Oct 16, 2019 7:20 AM

Tri County Tech Employees Pledge $80,000 to Foundation

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Garrett Giles

At the Superintendent’s Forum at the Tri County Technology Center in Bartlesville last Friday, all 97 TCT employees made a generous pledge.

An $80,000 pledge was made by Tri County Tech’s finest and all the money will go towards the Tri County Tech Foundation. Tonya Foreman, the Foundation Manager and the Senior Director of Business Development at TCT, said the generosity will help ensure no student is denied based on inability to pay at the Career Tech.

One of the top priorities for Tri County Tech is that 100-percent of their adult students in 2025 will graduate from the Career Tech debt free. This was a goal set by CEO Lindel Fields in August 2019. 

Foreman said there is 1.57 trillion-dollars in student loan debt in the United States, which is why they came up with the goal last summer. She said the way they meet their goal is through their largest donors, which is the Tri County Tech staff. She said for the last two years, 100-percent of their staff has believed in the purpose that the Tri County Tech Foundation serves.

That being said, the Tri County Technology Center is still looking for you to make a difference in someone’s life. Foreman said there are three ways in which you can give. Those ways include:

1. Individually

2. Corporate Sponsorships

3 Name Scholarships (more or less continuing someone's legacy by funding a name scholarship, which has three levels of giving as well)

Foreman said the Tri County Tech Foundation assists adult students every year at a tune of about $300,000. In addition to the $80,000 gained from Tri County Tech’s employees, they have another $220,000 that comes from other forms of donations. Tri County Tech is always looking to help more students through your donations, which can be made at tctcgiving.org.

Reflecting on the employees at TCT and their pledge last Friday showed Foreman that they understand the differences that can be made. She said they see the impact the donations make on adult students and their families day-in and day-out.

While the Tri County Tech Foundation assists adult students with tuition, it also assists them by offering a Holiday Food Bank. Over the holidays when Tri County Tech is closed, it can be hard for some families who have access to food daily through the Career Tech, so they offer gift cards or emergency assistance.

Emergency assistance can go a bit further in that it is aimed at eliminating any barrier that may keep an adult student from attending classes every single day. For example if a water heater goes out, or someone needs a new set of tires or someone needs dental work, the funds collected by the Tri County Tech Foundation will help students tackle the issues life may throw at them.

Foreman said we are put on this earth to change lives and change communities. She said that should be the pinnacle of all of our lives and it is definitely what Tri County Tech wants to keep to doing for Bartlesville and the surrounding area.

For the last 5-years, Tri County Tech has been named as The Best Place to Work, and at TCT, they changed it slightly to say it is the Greatest Place to Work. In 2018, they would win the Prestigious Presidential Award (the Malcom Baldridge Award).

Foreman said that shows the depth and character of the faculty and staff at Tri County Tech. She said that and seeing their dedication to helping others is what makes TCT so beautiful to be a part of.


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