Women’s Foundation grant to help fund credit programs, workforce development program

By Marketing and Communications Staff
 

President Tracy D. Hall (middle) receives a $100,000 check from the Women’s Foundation of Greater Memphis. Pictured with Dr. Hall are Southwest Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Resource Development Braylin Laster, Patria Johnson and Shante Avant from the WFGM and Southwest’s Director of Grants Development and Management Suzanne Gibson. 
President Tracy D. Hall (middle) receives a $100,000 check
from the Women’s Foundation of Greater Memphis. Pictured
with Dr. Hall are Southwest Associate Vice President for
Institutional Advancement and Resource Development
Braylin Laster, Patria Johnson and Shante Avant from the
WFGM and Southwest’s Director of Grants Development and
Management Suzanne Gibson. 

Southwest Tennessee Community College has a unique opportunity to make a powerful impact on the lives of students thanks to a $100,000 grant funded by the Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis (WFGM). 

As part of the Grant Program Vocational Education Scholarship Program at Southwest, the WFGM grant will primarily go towards credit programs at the college, with a small portion going to the Workforce Development department. 

$73,000 will be distributed to students via WFGM Vocational Scholarships to help them satisfy outstanding balances or to help them continue their education if they otherwise would not have been able to afford tuition costs. Many students who will receive the WFGM grant did not qualify for state or federal funding, or their tuition did not cover all of their required academic credit courses. 

“We cannot thank Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis enough for the generous $100,000 award they made available to our students at Southwest Tennessee Community College,” said Suzanne Gibson, director of grants development and management. 

“This award has truly made a huge difference in the lives of our students who would not have otherwise been able to begin or continue their education.”

In addition, $27,000 from the grant will be apportioned for workforce development's implementation of the six-month Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA) program. The CCMA course will prepare students for entry-level positions within the medical industry. 

Grant funding will cover the total costs for training, which will include Essential Skills course training, CCMA technical training, student study guides, student practice exams, and two opportunities for students to test for their national exam.

The total cost of the CCMA training, $26,973.74, will be covered by WFGM’s generous donation.