Avangrid Foundation in partnership with Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) were recently honored for their longstanding partnership with Monroe Community College (MCC) at the New York Community College Trustees’ (NYCCT) 2021 NYCCT Awards ceremony last week. Avangrid Foundation and RG&E were presented with the 2021 Benefactor Vision for Tomorrow Award.

This annual award is presented to a community partner who has shown commitment to their local community college and “provided a visionary undertaking for them.” MCC Foundation nominated Avangrid Foundation and RG&E for the award.

“Avangrid Foundation and RG&E’s philanthropy has helped more than 800 MCC students keep their dreams of rising out of poverty and achieving a college education alive at critical, do or die moments, in their academic careers,” said Gretchen Wood, CFRE, MCC vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the Monroe Community College Foundation who nominated the organizations for the award. “Their longstanding support has helped keep MCC innovative and responsive to the basic and urgent financial challenges faced by our students through scholarships and programs. Our gratitude for Avangrid Foundation and RG&E’s positive impact on MCC and our community is immeasurable.”

Avangrid Foundation and RG&E have a long history of supporting MCC students. Together, the Foundation and RG&E have supported a variety of programs and scholarships.

• Dreamkeepers Emergency Fund: This program assists students with expenses related to housing, food, utilities, and childcare, ensuring they can continue with their studies and make progress toward their goals. This year, the Foundation provided a $50,000 investment for the fund.
• Scholarship Support: AVANGRID has provided $80,000 in scholarship support since 2014 through the MCC Foundation’s annual Salute to Excellence event.
• Single Stop USA: The Avangrid Foundation invested $250,000 to enable MCC to partner with Single Stop USA, a national non-profit agency that helps people break the cycle of poverty through coordinated access to a community “safety net.” Single Stop at MCC connected students and their families to a range of free and low-cost community resources and wraparound services, including assistance with food benefits, transportation, childcare subsidies, medical care, and tax preparation.
• President’s Circle of Honor: These funds support the work of the MCC Foundation as well as scholarship dollars. The President’s Circle of Honor is made up of a prestigious circle of individuals, businesses and private foundations who share a common passion for MCC.
• Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program: RG&E serves as a sponsor of this event through the company’s Economic Development Program. Finger Lakes Youth Apprenticeship Program was launched by MCC and the Rochester Technology and Manufacturing Association. It helps students train in high-demand, high-value trades, and facilitates employment for local employers.

“Our relationship with Monroe Community College and the MCC Foundation is very special because many of our team members are MCC graduates,” said Carl A. Taylor, President and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E. “MCC has been helping to educate the future leaders of the Greater Rochester community for 60 years. They are a vital member of our region, and we’re proud to be longtime supporters of the college in partnership with the Avangrid Foundation.”

NYCCT is a voluntary nonprofit consortium of community college trustees established to strengthen the effectiveness of NY community college trustees as an active force in the development and implementation of public policy impacting community colleges. NYCCT represents the appointed board members who govern the 30 community colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system.

For more information on NYCCT and their annual awards, visit their website.