Sterling Township Contributes to SVCC’s Campaign

Sterling Township Contributes to SVCC's Campaign

Sauk Valley Community College's We are the Future campaign received a $10,000 gift from Sterling Township to support the earned tuition Impact Program. This is the first municipal gift to the campaign, making Sterling Township a leader in the movement to reduce financial barriers and provide support for students to succeed in college, careers and life.

Township supervisor, Angela Schneider, shared, "Sterling Township is proud to support the SVCC Impact program as it aligns with our vision to improve the quality of life for our residents and our community. We look forward to hosting students as they earn their education and as they advance themselves and our community as a whole."

"Sterling students currently make up the largest percentage of SVCC's student population. We project that the Impact Program will help over 230 Sterling students pursue their higher education goals by earning up to three years of tuition and fees at SVCC. This will create a larger pool of talent in our area; strengthen our local workforce; and strengthen our local community service organizations which are vital to the advancement of our region. We can't thank the Sterling Township board enough for their generosity and leadership," shared Chris Pilling, Executive Director for the Sauk Valley College Foundation. The gift from Sterling Township will specifically support Sterling students who are accepted into the SVCC Impact Program.

Pilot programs in Fulton and Prophetstown have been underway since May of 2021 after SVCC received an anonymous one-million-dollar gift to specifically fund underserved students in western Whiteside county. Students who have signed up for the program are required to complete 25 hours of community service per year for a total of 100 hours by the time they graduate high school or a homeschool program. Students in the pilot programs have already completed over one thousand hours of service to their communities and qualifying students may enroll as early as the summer of 2025.

Impact Coordinators are currently meeting with parents and students to provide information about the program and sign students up by September 1 of their freshman year of high school. Pilot program students, parents, volunteer service organizations and others can learn more about the program at svcc.edu/impact or by contacting an Impact Program Coordinator at [email protected].