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(Pictured-Left to right- Todd Bender\/President\/GCC Foundation, Alecia Kaus\/Video News Service, Julie Carasone, VNS Reporter\/Scholarship recipient and James Sunser\/GCC President<\/p>\n
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The GCC Foundation held their “Leadership Kickoff” event for their scholarship campaign for the GLOW region on Thursday evening in LeRoy.<\/p>\n
The scholarship campaign is important to GCC students who, even after Pell and TAP,\u00a0 have a funding shortfall. They will have other funding options available if they experience this funding shortfall though the GCC Foundation.<\/p>\n
“Financial barriers are not going to be a problem when attending GCC,” says Tammy Arneth, Director of Development\/GCC Foundation.<\/p>\n
The fundraising campaign will now extend throughout the rest of the GLOW region making, stops in Livingston, Orleans and Wyoming counties through June 30th.<\/p>\n
According to Arneth, GCC Main Campus had 368 applications for the Excelsior Scholarship this year and 135 actually went through.<\/p>\n
“So there is a huge gap and that is where the Foundation comes in. We have over 100 scholarships to offer students that meet each student’s criteria or major that they can apply for. Right now the debt we have for student loans is outrageous, and if we eliminate this and give out money through the GCC Foundation to our students then they won’t have that debt, this will bridge the gap so they will not have to apply for another student loan.”<\/p>\n
The GCC Foundation receives funds through a volunteer driven annual fundraising campaign, special fundraising events, and monetary gifts. The Foundation has been assisting students since 1985.
\nThe Foundation manages donor funds through a rigorous investment program.and then disburses funds through a planning and grant-making process.<\/p>\n
On Thursday evening, donors heard from Julie Carasone, a VNS Reporter, who decided to go back to college and complete her degree at GCC after 25 years. She is the recipient of the\u00a0R. Stephen Hawley Family Scholarship for Public Service.<\/p>\n
The 45 year old single mother of two girls, works three jobs and is currently going to GCC. She will graduate next year.<\/p>\n
In 1991, Carasone started taking college classes at GCC, but then life happened and she ended up raising a family and going into the workforce to make ends meet, putting her college on hold.<\/p>\n
Then 10 years ago, Carasone attempted to complete her college education process once more, but life threw her another curve ball and she was diagnosed with stage 1, grade 3 breast cancer that was very aggressive. She immediately started her fight to beat breast cancer and her college education was again put on hold.<\/p>\n
“I was going to defeat this cancer for my two daughters Felicia and Gabby. They were the reason I was born and they are my life,” says Carasone.<\/p>\n
She continued to work during her fight against breast cancer with her family by her side along with her very understanding employer.<\/p>\n
“My parents, family and faith got me through this very dark period, they were there to lift me up and push me through and eventually I kicked cancer’s ass and I am happy to say I am cancer free.”<\/p>\n
Fast forward to last year.<\/p>\n
“I started looking into going back to school again because of Alecia Kaus from Video News Service.”<\/p>\n
“She and I became friends when we volunteered a lot for functions at my daughter’s school. We were talking one night about news stories and different things and she asked me if I could help her out doing news stories. It was my dream job to be a photojournalist, I love taking photos, so I jumped at this opportunity.”<\/p>\n
Along with taking photos, Julie also helped with writing stories for Video News Service.<\/p>\n
“I knew how to take the photos, but I didn’t know how to write as a journalist. She has been helping me. It was then that I realized, I needed to go back to school and finish my education.”<\/p>\n
Last year Carasone re-enrolled as a student at GCC for a third time.<\/p>\n
Now her youngest daughter is a senior in high school and her oldest daughter,who is 25, lives in Batavia.<\/p>\n
Carason is currently working in the health and human service sector and applied for the\u00a0R. Stephen Hawley Family Scholarship for Public Service because she says anything would help in paying for classes.<\/p>\n
So after a long night of Ubering, her third job, she was going through her mail at 3a.m. and spotted a letter from GCC.<\/p>\n
“I remember thinking, what did I forget now, they are probably telling me I’m kicked out or something like that. But I opened it up and to my surprise I was awarded the R. Stephen Hawley scholarship for $1,000. I was so shocked by this, I started crying.”<\/p>\n
Carasone says the scholarship has helped her with paying for books and getting a laptop to complete her online assignments.<\/p>\n
“Living pay check to pay check does not allow me to save much, so this award saved me and its helping me to become successful in attaining my dream of becoming a college graduate and having a degree and you all did that for me,” Carasone told donors.<\/p>\n
I am forever grateful for this scholarship and I promise not to let you down. God gave me a second chance at life and you all gave me a chance to live my dreams and I don not intend to waste that.”<\/p>\n
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(Pictured-Left to right- Todd Bender\/President\/GCC Foundation, Alecia Kaus\/Video News Service, Julie Carasone, VNS Reporter\/Scholarship recipient and James Sunser\/GCC President The GCC Foundation held their “Leadership Kickoff” event for their scholarship campaign for the GLOW region on Thursday evening in LeRoy. The scholarship campaign is important to GCC students who, \u2026<\/p>\n