QCC’s GivingTuesday Campaign Launches Early Due to Increased Student Need

Quinsigamond Community College is asking for the support of the community in helping its students during a time when their need is greater than ever before. The College has rolled out an aggressive fundraising campaign in conjunction with the national campaign GivingTuesday, in an effort to help the most vulnerable of its student population.

QCC is an integral part of the City of Worcester. In 2019, there were 32,118 alumni, with close to 23,000 living in Massachusetts and almost 7,000 living in the  Worcester.

“By donating to QCC’s GivingTuesday campaign, you are helping a friend or a neighbor who may be one of the many front-line workers helping to keep us safe and our essential businesses operating,” said Associate Vice President for External Affairs, Dr. Viviana M. Abreu-Hernandez.  “Your gift can help students pay their rent, utilities, feed their families, or provide laptops and WiFi so they can continue to learn remotely. A donation, no matter the size, makes a big difference to a student in need.”

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, student need has greatly increased as jobs have been lost or severely cut and students are struggling to make ends meet.  While the college received CARES Act funding like most in the country, the stipulations for students to receive aid precluded many, due to their part-time status or other disqualifiers.

“Many of our students were unable to access the CARES Act aid, which was why the QCC Foundation began a Student Emergency Fund. This has already helped well over 500 students,” said President Dr. Luis Pedraja.

A survey of those who received Student Emergency Fund aid noted that 47% of working students lost their jobs, 72% of working students had a reduction in their working hours, and 33% had out of pocket medical expenses related to COVID-19.

“Of those surveyed 93% who received aid did not withdraw from QCC during the Spring semester. This is a testament to the effectiveness of the Student Emergency Fund as well as the incredible need our students face,” President Pedraja said. “We have almost exhausted our raised funds, yet the need continues to grow as the pandemic deepens and we enter the colder months. It’s imperative that we help those who need us most.”

QCC’s GivingTuesday campaign is running for the entire month of November, with a goal of raising $30,000. To be a part of QCC’s GivingTuesday initiative, visit www.QCC.edu/qccgives

The College is challenging all its alumni to help meet the $30,000 fundraising goal by asking each graduate to donate at least one dollar.

"Can you imagine if all of our 30,000-plus alumni made a donation? We could make such a positive impact on our students and send them a resounding message of hope, support and encouragement," Dr. Abreu-Hernandez said.

GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.