JJC Students appreciate the foundation, community for support

The Joliet Junior College students are grateful to the foundation and community for their support at such hardship times. The Foundation is offering monetary gifts to support the students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and they are encouraging other community members to do the same as well.

The students are looking at the JJC Foundation for assistance with food and household items, technology to finish remote classes this semester, and even tuition assistance during these uncertain times. The crisis will affect the students’ jobs. This will create challenges for their academic goals. Contributions to the Student Emergency Fund can help them financially.

As one student explained, the assistance they received came at a stressful and scary time, “With the donations forwarded to me during this crisis, I was able to sustain my family while having a weight and worry loaded off of my shoulders. Thank you so much to all that help and for the donations made. It means more than you will ever know!”

Another student shares his situation, “Out of everything I’ve had to overcome in my journey, one battle I never thought I’d be fighting is food insecurity. With help from the JJC Student Emergency Fund, this is one less thing I need to worry about so I can focus on my studies.” College’s Student Emergency Fund is managed by Dean of Student Success Angie Kaysen-Luzbetak. She said the service not only links students to critical resources, but allows caring individuals to influence student success.

She was informed of a student’s situation. She said connecting on a human level is important. Identifying the need for any additional resources, and to let them know JJC cares is also crucial. She said, “When a student reaches out to us we automatically become part of their team,” Kristi Mulvey, executive director of institutional advancement and executive director of the JJC Foundation said, “During this uncertain time we are pleased that donors are willing to earmark their gifts to our Student Emergency Fund knowing that our students have needs in addition to scholarships, such as food and technology support.”