Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation Awards $15,000
College students with emergency financial needs will have access to extra help through Rogue Community College’s (RCC) Osprey Care Fund as a result of a recent $15,000 grant award. Courtesy of the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation (CCUIF) through their semi-annual grant application process, RCC will be able to continue this unique support service to students.
Beginning in May 2020, RCC and the RCC Foundation established the college mascot-themed Osprey Care Fund (OCF) to respond to financial needs of the student body who were beginning to feel the impacts of the pandemic. The OCF has already awarded Osprey Care Funds to over 220 students since its inception. The extra financial assistance from the fund helps keep students in school during trying times.
“This wonderful grant from the Cow Creek Umpqua Indian Foundation will help our students focus on their education and know that there is help for their well-being when unforeseen emergencies arise,” said Susan Bame, RCC Resource Coordinator. “The OCF will continue as a safety net for students facing unexpected financial barriers that would otherwise interrupt their educational journey.”
Emergency grants of up to $500 are available to students experiencing financial hardship.
Applications for these funds are accepted once each term begins. For additional support please contact Susan Bame, SBame@roguecc.edu.
The COVID pandemic caused financial hardship across all of Southern Oregon yet RCC students also face ongoing financial challenges. While many assume students are able to rely on family resources, RCC’s 2019 RealCollege Survey found that even before the pandemic, 57% of RCC students experienced low or very low levels of food security in the past 30 days. More than half of RCC students said they couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals (56%) and/or worried their food would run out before they had money to buy more (55%).
In addition to their identified food insecurity, 62% of RCC students also reported experiencing housing insecurity during the previous year. Eight percent of RCC respondents self-identified as homeless, while 17% indicated they had “couch surfed” or “stayed with a relative or friend during the previous year.”
To help students address these concerns and other financial crises, RCC also seeks donations from community members to help support the emergency fund, supplementing grant awards like CCUIF’s. Those wishing to donate to help support students may contact Jodi Simons, Interim Executive Director of the RCC Foundation at 541-956-7294 or jsimons@roguecc.edu. Donations of any amount are tax deductible.
The CCUIF gave 61 nonprofits $649,930 during the Spring 2022 grant award cycle. This is the largest total amount distributed in the 25 years of the Foundation’s existence. The mission of the CCUIF is to offer assistance in youth education, strengthen youth and family, provide for positive youth development, and add to the quality of life for people in southwestern Oregon. The Foundation has put increasing emphasis upon basic needs so more hungry people are being fed.
The CCUIF was founded in 1997 and began its philanthropic efforts in 1998. To date, the Foundation has awarded $21,539,146 to nonprofits in the seven southwestern Oregon counties from which it accepts grant requests. Grants are awarded semi-annually, in January and June after applications are reviewed.
For additional information on financial assistance through the Osprey Care Fund, contact Susan Bame, RCC Resource Coordinator, at (541) 956-7369 or SBame@roguecc.edu.
###
For general media inquiries, please contact Julie Raefield, M.A., Public Information Officer, Community and Government Relations Coordinator, at 541-956-7319, jraefield@roguecc.edu.