Press release
The Dedication Ceremony of the Richard C. Call Arena on Thursday officially opened the new 54,000 square foot facility that now houses many of Genesee Community College’s physical education classrooms and coaches offices, a new Fitness Center, meeting rooms, a press box overlooking the Turf Field, and the 20,400 square foot field house that can accommodate many different types of events—from sporting competitions to trade shows and community gatherings.
The Dedication Ceremony also honored and recognized the many donors who contributed to the “Creating Our Future Together” capital campaign. GCC’s new facilities, include the Student Success Center, which was occupied in July, and the Richard C. Call Arena.
In January 2015, Genesee Community College kicked off its “Creating Our Future Together” fundraising campaign with the goal to raise $5 million to support the construction of two new facilities at the College’s Batavia Campus, and also to support student scholarships emphasizing outreach to students living near GCC’s campus centers in Albion, Medina, Arcade, Warsaw, Dansville and Lima.
By the end of 2016, “Creating Our Future Together” exceeded its goal and a total of $5.5 million was raised. In May 2016, Genesee Community College’s Board of Trustees formally dedicated the College’s new event center in honor of longtime College supporter Richard C. Call, who was a member of the GCC Foundation Board from 2001 until his death in 2014.
Mr. Call was a strong proponent of volunteerism and philanthropy, and also an advocate of a new event center at GCC. He recognized its potential economic impact on the overall region as well as its intrinsic value to the teaching and learning experience for students of all ages.
Over many decades, Mr. Call and his brother, Robert, built Call Farms into a highly innovative and nationally-known agricultural enterprise. Mr. Call’s brother and their children continue to operate the farm. Not surprisingly, Mr. Call encouraged other agricultural leaders across the region to get behind the “Creating Our Future Together” campaign and collectively, they were instrumental in making the new Arena possible. Mr. Call was also a strong supporter of many community causes, and had a special interest in youth. In addition to his local volunteer commitments, he was well-known across the U.S. for his leadership in agricultural organizations and he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University.