Here are three examples of hundreds of our supporters.
PAST
Midge Renton and her husband, Bill, moved to Grants Pass from San Francisco in 1966. “After crying all the way up the freeway, we arrived to fog, fog, fog,” she recalls. But soon she and Bill fell in love with the Rogue Valley and became active in the community. In 1969 Midge became one of the founders of Rogue Community College, and served on the Board of Education for 29 years. She was also one of the charter members of the RCC Foundation Board and served as president.
She has served on the RCC Advisory Committee representing Josephine County, taught at Manzanita School and Merlin Primary School, and she was principal of Fort Vannoy School for ten years. She maintains involvement in many organizations focused on women, families, and education including the American Association of University Women, P.E.O., Family Friends, Rotary, and ASPIRE. Midge and her husband, Bill, who passed away in 2016, have three sons and six grandchildren.
Midge has been a volunteer, a board member, and a donor to Rogue Community College. It has been people like her that have sustained the college and made it a success.
PRESENT
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) aims to break through educational barriers, enabling equal opportunities to women in education. Founded in 1881 by 17 women graduates, the organization now boasts more than 165,000 members and supporters nationwide. Three local branches are responsible for funding numerous scholarships for female students at RCC.
Medford AAUW
The Medford branch supports a scholarship for RCC students offered through the RCC Foundation. Medford representatives raise money throughout the year to fund multiple scholarships for local young women pursuing a variety of educational goals.
Grants Pass AAUW
The Grants Pass branch has an endowed fund with the Foundation, through which scholarships are granted each year to Josephine County women pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).
Ashland AAUW
AAUW Ashland Scholarship Awards are one of the premier efforts of the Ashland branch, which also has an endowed fund with the Foundation. Ashland’s commitment to scholarships empowers women to pursue advanced education free of the burden of student debt.
Jocksana Corona is a prime example of the change AAUW can spur in a woman’s life. One year ago, she was a part-time student at RCC, working two jobs to pay for tuition—until she received the AAUW Ashland Scholarship. This financial support enabled Jocksana to leave her evening job and enroll in RCC full-time. She is now serving a practicum with Dunn House, where she advocates for children as well as survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.
“As a Latina, I want to be involved in helping my community advance,” Jocksana says. “Each time a client shares their story with me, it is a step toward gaining their power and independence back. I love being part of this individual growth process and feel privileged to be able to be there for them by providing emotional support.”
For more information about AAUW and its partnership with the RCC Foundation, visit aauw.org.
FUTURE
When supporters of the RCC Foundation help students build their future, they contribute to the future of every person that student will touch: family, friends, charities. This generates future donors who pay that generosity forward.
For example, scholarship recipient Sibylle Zimmerman recalls,
“Receiving the scholarship award letter literally brought tears to my eyes, I am still touched, as I not only feel acknowledged for all my hard work, but also in a special way welcomed to this country as an International student. This is truly lived appreciation of diversity and multicultural education.”
The support of generous donors allows her to finish a degree in Early Childhood Education and get closer to her dream
“To make a difference in the lives of children, and through that also contribute to a better and more fair world.”