Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Lori Cortez, SVCC

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Lori Cortez, SVCC · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Today I am joined by our good friends from Salk
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Valley Community College. Today I am speaking with Lori Cortes
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: and Lindsay Good and Lorii. Me and you have known
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: each other a bit from my day's reporting, so it's
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  Speaker 1: kind of it's nice to bring you in this format,
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  Speaker 1: right because usually we have talks and people read about it,
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  Speaker 1: and now they listen to it.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's really cool, and I'm so glad that you
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: are in this role. We do miss our Steve Marco,
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  Speaker 2: but we're really happy that you are here. A friendly face,
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  Speaker 2: for sure.
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  Speaker 1: He is always watching back behind you. This Steve Marco.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: This has been dubbed the Steve Marco Studio.
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  Speaker 3: Now, wonderful congratulations to him.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, so I've always got that legendary bit here in
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  Speaker 1: the studio. But as always, and this is why I've
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  Speaker 1: always loved reporting on SOCC. You guys always have so
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  Speaker 1: many fantastic programs. The college is always building and expanding,
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  Speaker 1: and this is really the proper time of year to
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  Speaker 1: talk about something I don't think a lot of people
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  Speaker 1: know about, certainly not my time reporting, which is the
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  Speaker 1: food pantry. Right.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so at SoC Valley Community College, a lot of
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  Speaker 2: folks don't know that we actually have a student food
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  Speaker 2: pantry because we know that students can't learn if they're hungry.
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  Speaker 2: So really, this food pantry started out of a request
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  Speaker 2: from our wonderful college trustee, Margaret Tyne, who went to
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  Speaker 2: a community college national conference and learned about how many
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  Speaker 2: community colleges.
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  Speaker 3: Students suffer from food and security.
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  Speaker 2: So under Margaret's leadership, we were able to really increase
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  Speaker 2: and provide a better service to our hungry students.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, and so you've brought Lindsay today. This is our
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  Speaker 1: first time giving to me. Yes, it is good, good morning.
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  Speaker 1: And I understand you're the foundation assistant and you head
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  Speaker 1: the pantry, right I do.
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  Speaker 4: It is a team effort to get all of the
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  Speaker 4: supplies needed to stock the food pantry, but I am
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  Speaker 4: the one that is going in every day and stocking
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  Speaker 4: that and getting rid of any old or expired food
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  Speaker 4: as well. Our colleague Angie Dell Hotel. She has partnerships
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  Speaker 4: with Walmart DC as well as SOCC Bailey Food Bank.
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  Speaker 4: We also get donations from other staff members, from students.
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  Speaker 4: There's just a lot of people that help make this happen.
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  Speaker 1: And usually the that's the motive and these kind of things,
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  Speaker 1: and I'm glad to see that's happening. So, you know,
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  Speaker 1: can you tell me how how often are students using the.
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  Speaker 4: Pantry every day? There is probably not one hour throughout
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  Speaker 4: the day that I do not have someone coming in
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  Speaker 4: and it's you know, no ask, no judgment, just go in,
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  Speaker 4: get what you need, and you know, if you have
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  Speaker 4: any questions, I'm more than happy to help any special request.
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  Speaker 4: We also do have a request box, so someone isn't
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  Speaker 4: comfortable coming to me asking for something that they can
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  Speaker 4: also put in a request for that. And Auntie del
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  Speaker 4: Hotel she also deals with any student emergencies that our
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  Speaker 4: food pantry might not be able to support.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, And it's a really important thing. And I think
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  Speaker 1: and that was great that you brought that up with
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  Speaker 1: the student request, right, because a lot of times I
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  Speaker 1: think people get this, you know, we let pride get
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  Speaker 1: in the way. Right. Everybody needs some help at some point.
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  Speaker 1: I've always told my kids or any but I know
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  Speaker 1: that like nobody, nobody truly does it on her own.
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  Speaker 1: We all get help in some kind of way. There's
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  Speaker 1: no shame in that. And so I'm glad that this
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  Speaker 1: is something that's here. What actually inspired the creation of
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  Speaker 1: a student food pantry.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so really it became a need of our students
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  Speaker 2: who were hungry or who.
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  Speaker 3: Needed basic necessities.
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  Speaker 2: Because our food pantry under Lindsay and Angie's leadership, we
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  Speaker 2: are stocked with toiletries as well. We know laundry detergi
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  Speaker 2: is expensive, toilet paper can be expensive, so we have
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  Speaker 2: things like toothpaste and toothbrushes that students can use to really,
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  Speaker 2: you know, have a well rounded student. If a student
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  Speaker 2: is embarrassed to go to class because they haven't been
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  Speaker 2: able to shower or because they haven't washed their clothes,
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  Speaker 2: we have these items right here.
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  Speaker 3: And Brandon, I think one.
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  Speaker 2: Of our points of pride about the college is that
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  Speaker 2: these students who need this help, whether it's through the
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  Speaker 2: food pantry or whether it's through a student emergency request
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  Speaker 2: like a fifty dollars gas card, these students have higher
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  Speaker 2: success rates. These are not just students that need, you know,
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  Speaker 2: or that are asking for a handout. These students who
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  Speaker 2: come to us and you know, you had mentioned that
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  Speaker 2: kind of like, oh, maybe there's a stigma associated with it,
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  Speaker 2: but these students who come to us and receive help,
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  Speaker 2: they graduate and then they enter our workforce. And I
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  Speaker 2: like to think if a fifty dollars gas card is
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  Speaker 2: going to make or break a student's academic achievement and
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  Speaker 2: workforce goals, I would happily provide that fifty dollars gas
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  Speaker 2: card to make sure that they can be successful and
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  Speaker 2: be great citizens for our Sock Valley area.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's the perfect line of thinking, is you know,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, we want you to be successful when they
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  Speaker 1: leave the college, they're going on, they're they're better armed
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  Speaker 1: to lead their lives in a way that they would had,
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  Speaker 1: you know, prior to that. And you guys are just
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  Speaker 1: removing obstacles and so you know that kind of leads
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  Speaker 1: into you know, the college and the forward thinking when
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  Speaker 1: it comes to expenses and success. And that's the Impact Program.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so our Impact program.
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  Speaker 2: Wow, we have really come a long way since twenty seventeen,
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  Speaker 2: where Tim had reported on a nugget of an idea
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  Speaker 2: here in the radio, and the nuggetive an idea was
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  Speaker 2: to be able to provide earned tuition for all students
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  Speaker 2: in the.
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  Speaker 3: Souk Valley area, all high school students.
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  Speaker 2: And from that nugget of an idea, where we didn't
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  Speaker 2: even have one student recruited. We have now grown to
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  Speaker 2: one eighth and eighty seven students in the Impact Program
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  Speaker 2: at Soft Valley Community College.
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  Speaker 1: That's absolutely phenomenal and I love and I'm going to
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  Speaker 1: steal nugget of an idea because I feel like that's
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  Speaker 1: I probably should have been writing down, because like so
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  Speaker 1: many times, you get something that pops in your head
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  Speaker 1: and it's not a full idea, and a nugget of
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  Speaker 1: an idea has now paid tuition for all of these kids.
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  Speaker 1: And it's not just a handout. Explain for people you know.
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  Speaker 1: And if you haven't heard of Impact program, that's okay,
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  Speaker 1: but we've had lots of There's been lots out there.
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  Speaker 1: I'm not going to totally excuse you, Sock Valley, but
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  Speaker 1: Laurie take take a moment now, if they're not familiar,
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  Speaker 1: how does this work?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so this is not a free tuition program. Students
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  Speaker 2: earn three years of tuition and fees at SoC by
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  Speaker 2: doing five things. First, they students have to sign up
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  Speaker 2: for the Impact Program by September first, or their freshman
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  Speaker 2: year of high school. This allows them to really do
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  Speaker 2: number two, which lindsay is the community service and how
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  Speaker 2: many hours.
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  Speaker 4: Twenty five hours.
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  Speaker 2: It's twenty five hours of community service in our community.
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  Speaker 2: So students have to volunteer with a non for profit
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  Speaker 2: for twenty five hours a year, a total of one
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  Speaker 2: hundred hours by the time they graduate from high school.
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  Speaker 2: The third thing is they have to graduate from an
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  Speaker 2: indistrict high school. Fourth, they have to apply for a scholarship.
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  Speaker 2: They don't even need to receive the scholarship, but they
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  Speaker 2: have to apply for it. And fifth they have to
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  Speaker 2: file for FAFSA. When students do those five things, they've
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  Speaker 2: earned three years of tuition and fees at SoC and Brandon.
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  Speaker 2: I've said it before and I'll say it again. This
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  Speaker 2: is not just a program to get kids to college.
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  Speaker 2: This is a program that is meant to get kids
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  Speaker 2: into the workforce. We have so many employers that have
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  Speaker 2: told us they have plenty of good paying jobs available.
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  Speaker 2: We know we have so many nursing positions open in
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  Speaker 2: our schools. We need more teachers, manufacturing, truck driving, agriculture.
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  Speaker 2: This impact program is a way not just to get
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  Speaker 2: kids to SoC, but to get kids to sock and
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  Speaker 2: then into the local workforce, earning a paycheck for themselves,
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  Speaker 2: for their families. While helping out our three hundred plus
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  Speaker 2: nonprofits in the area.
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  Speaker 1: And it'll and it makes sense. I mean, they're volunteering locally,
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  Speaker 1: so these companies are already familiar with them. They know
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  Speaker 1: they're about to graduate and be on the I mean,
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  Speaker 1: so now these kids are making this connection, they've already
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  Speaker 1: It's not just a Hey, I'm a college graduate and
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  Speaker 1: you know you don't know about me, but I'm a
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  Speaker 1: great They're like, I've worked for you, you know, I've volunteered,
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  Speaker 1: and in volunteerism in itself is something. The way that
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  Speaker 1: this program is boosting volunteerism in our local area. My
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  Speaker 1: time as a reporter, I know how hard it is
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  Speaker 1: for them to get volunteers, and you folks just with
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  Speaker 1: these kids said in my opinion, maybe there's some stat
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  Speaker 1: to prove me wrong, but I feel like this program
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  Speaker 1: is pumping out more local volunteerism than volunteerism is on
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  Speaker 1: its own as a collective within the area.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah.
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  Speaker 2: So we have metrics that have shown that we our
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  Speaker 2: Impact students have completed ninety eight thousand hours of volunteerism.
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  Speaker 3: In the last four years.
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  Speaker 2: Our economic development officer at the college said, do you
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  Speaker 2: know that if our local nonprofits had to pay for
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  Speaker 2: ninety eight thousand dollars sorry, ninety eight thousand hours of labor,
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  Speaker 2: that would have cost them one point five five million dollars.
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  Speaker 2: Meaning we have fourteen year olds right here in the
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  Speaker 2: Soft Valley that are saving our charitable organization's one point
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  Speaker 2: five million.
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  Speaker 3: Dollars in labor.
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  Speaker 2: And you're right, Brandon, it's developing those those relationships, it's
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  Speaker 2: developing those soft skills. You know, we have our nonprofits
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  Speaker 2: saying to our impact kids. Now, you know if you
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  Speaker 2: stayed off your phone this event or it would go
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  Speaker 2: a lot faster. Or teaching kids how to make eye
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  Speaker 2: contact or shake a hand. They're learning this while at
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  Speaker 2: ages fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, and not when they're twenty
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  Speaker 2: two entering into the workforce. Right, they're learning this early on.
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  Speaker 2: We're creating better employees.
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  Speaker 3: For our employers and for our region.
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  Speaker 1: That's absolutely amazing. Start value. You hear that teenagers are
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  Speaker 1: beating you on the volunteerism beat. Get involved better yet,
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  Speaker 1: talk to your kids, get them signed up. What's the
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  Speaker 1: best way to go about that?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, So sign up begins April first. You can go
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  Speaker 2: to SVCC dot Edu and I'll mention that again SVCC
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  Speaker 2: dot edu slash Impact. Students and parents have from April
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  Speaker 2: first through September first to sign up for the Impact program.
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  Speaker 3: Wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: You also want to talk about is it a new
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  Speaker 1: campaign or has this been going on for a little.
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  Speaker 2: Bit the U the Clippers campaign. Yeah, so the Clippers campaign.
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  Speaker 2: We were so excited. So what was this, Lindsay beck In.
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  Speaker 4: We kicked this off November fifth and Amboy at the
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  Speaker 4: Long Branch Saloon.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we are raising funds in Amboys so to
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  Speaker 2: ensure that each and every Amboy student has the opportunity
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  Speaker 2: to attend Soft Valley Community College's Impact Program in perpetuity.
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  Speaker 2: So we have a six hundred thousand dollars goal. And yeah,
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  Speaker 2: that seems like a lot, But we already have other
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  Speaker 2: communities that are fully endowed, right Lindsay.
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  Speaker 4: Yes, we do. Morrison is about to be fully endowed.
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  Speaker 4: We kicked that campaign off last year. We also have
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  Speaker 4: Pullo that is fully endowed and Profits and Fulton Town.
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  Speaker 4: Profits Town and Fulton are also fully in dowed.
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  Speaker 1: That's amazing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, owners from these communities have come forward and said
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  Speaker 2: this is what we want for our talent.
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  Speaker 3: It's a great community.
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  Speaker 2: It's a great recruiting tool for these talents to say, Hey,
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  Speaker 2: if you move to Polo, you and your family can
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  Speaker 2: save thirty thousand dollars a year on tuition and fees
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  Speaker 2: because of the Impact program. So come here, live here.
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  Speaker 2: And so with the Clippers campaign, we've been able to
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  Speaker 2: raise over fifteen thousand dollars in the last five weeks
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  Speaker 2: and we are on our way to earning more because
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  Speaker 2: of our generous donors that are affiliated with the Amboy area.
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  Speaker 1: That's absolutely amazing. And for those wanting to support students
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  Speaker 1: more directly, how can people donate or even set up
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  Speaker 1: scholarships through the foundation?
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  Speaker 2: So I can share with you setting up scholarships, and
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  Speaker 2: I'll ask Lindsay to share about the food pantry. But
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  Speaker 2: you know this is the season for giving, and I
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  Speaker 2: know there are other charitable organizations asking to I just
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  Speaker 2: asked that you keep in mind if you were to
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  Speaker 2: give to Impact, you're also giving to not just to
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  Speaker 2: the Soft Valley College Foundation, but you're empowering students to
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  Speaker 2: give their time in volunteerism with the other three hundred
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  Speaker 2: nonprofits in the area. So folks can call us at
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  Speaker 2: SoC Valley Community College again Lori Cortes. It's at eight
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  Speaker 2: one five eight three five six two six zero, or you.
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  Speaker 3: Can even go online to give.
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  Speaker 2: You can go to SVCC dot edu slash give and
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  Speaker 2: we have an excellent program where if you don't know
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  Speaker 2: what to give the person in your life who has everything,
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  Speaker 2: why not give them a scholarship in their name. We
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  Speaker 2: have lots of families that have come forward and said,
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  Speaker 2: my elderly parents, they don't need more slippers, they don't
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: need this, they don't need that. But to be able
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: to provide a five hundred dollars scholarship in their name
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: that goes on to a student and it pays for
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  Speaker 2: an entire class, that's really breathtaking for a lot.
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  Speaker 3: Of our families. Absolutely. And the food pantry, lindsay, how
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  Speaker 3: do people give to that?
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  Speaker 4: We actually just have a lot of people that just
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  Speaker 4: come in and stock those shelves themselves. A lot of
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  Speaker 4: times I will come in and I am welcomed by
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  Speaker 4: a box of goods that someone has dropped off for
• 13:02
  Speaker 4: our food pantry. You can always drop them off at
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  Speaker 4: our information center as well, that is located on the
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  Speaker 4: first floor. If you do not know where our Foundation
• 13:12
  Speaker 4: office is and you may always call or email email
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  Speaker 4: us at the foundation which is Foundation at SVCC dot edu.
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  Speaker 1: Wonderful, And we still got a little bit of time left.
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  Speaker 1: There's another great campaign. You got the Helmich Legacy campaign.
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  Speaker 3: Right, Yeah, so the Helmic Legacy Campaign.
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  Speaker 2: So this is an honor of our retiring college president,
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: doctor David Helmick and doctor Linda Helmick, who have.
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  Speaker 3: Been in our community for ten years.
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  Speaker 2: Now almost eleven and under the doctor's Helmic leadership of
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  Speaker 2: the Stock family has just changed for the better. Doctor
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  Speaker 2: Helmick has helped to create the Impact Program as a
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  Speaker 2: way to allow low income students and all students to
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: access higher education. Doctor Linda Helmick has volunteered her time
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: with the YWCA, with the Dixon Rotary, and has worked
• 14:03
  Speaker 2: as a renowned psychologist at KSB. And so we are
• 14:08
  Speaker 2: so excited to have them here for the last ten years.
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  Speaker 2: But they will be retiring and get this Brandon spending
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: time with their grandchildren in Minnesota as of next year.
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  Speaker 2: How dare they put family first? No, we are really
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  Speaker 2: excited that the Helmics to be able to celebrate the
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  Speaker 2: Helmes And so if you have been affected by David Helmick,
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  Speaker 2: or Linda Helmick in any way and are interested in
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: giving a gift in their name, no matter how big,
• 14:34
  Speaker 2: no matter how small.
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  Speaker 3: We would love the opportunity to chat with you, and
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  Speaker 3: again you can go to SVCC dot edu slash give.
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  Speaker 2: Doctor Helmick started the adult I'm sorry, the soft Family
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  Speaker 2: Leadership program that's had over fifty graduates, and he has
• 14:49
  Speaker 2: made sure that our adult ed program at the college
• 14:52
  Speaker 2: has been able to thrive. So really good things under
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: the helms.
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  Speaker 1: Wonderful. Well, thank you both so much for coming. We're
• 15:01
  Speaker 1: out of time today, but it won't be the last
• 15:02
  Speaker 1: time that I have you here on the show because
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: there's always something going on at SoC You're always expanding,
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: adding new programs, improving what you're always doing, so I'll
• 15:12
  Speaker 1: be looking forward to having you back in the booth.
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: Lori ash Or Lindsey, thank you so much for joining
• 15:17
  Speaker 1: me today.
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Brandon, Thank you, Brandon,