NWC News Desk

Options and opportunities linked in NWC 2007 annual campaign starting soon in the basin

Posted September 20, 2007
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P O W E L L, W y o. - As the fall portion of the Northwest College 2007 annual campaign gears up this month, Robbi Welch, NWC director of annual giving, said college supporters across the Big Horn Basin and beyond will be asked to give the gift of "opportunity" to NWC students.

Welch said the campaign theme, "Options and Opportunities," lets NWC supporters know they have options in how they direct their gifts. One of those options is direct to students through scholarships.

"The need for scholarship funding never goes away," Welch said. "In many cases, scholarships give students who might not otherwise enroll an opportunity to attend college and also help them succeed by helping relieve financial stress, allowing them to focus on their education."

Donors have the option of matching their scholarship gifts to their individual interests - whether it's athletics, music, writing, welding or any of the programs and activities available at Northwest.

Another area that's crucial for the college, according to Welch, is unrestricted gifts. "These dollars give the college the flexibility to respond to immediate needs or circumstances where funding wouldn't otherwise be available." The culinary arts program being developed at the NWC Cody Center for Training and Development is one example of unrestricted gifts put to use.

"The start-up costs for this program were underwritten by unrestricted donations," Welch said. "The world is changing faster every day, and community colleges more than any other branch of higher learning need to be ready to add and change both credit and noncredit curriculum quickly. Without the support of unrestricted gifts, Northwest couldn't be as responsive to the needs of the Big Horn Basin."

To find out more about the annual campaign click here, e-mail Robbi Welch , or call (307) 754-6034. Gifts to NWC of all sizes are accepted by the NWC Foundation, a private nonprofit corporation which receives donations on behalf of the college.