The Lunch Pail Defense Foundation, spearheaded by retired Virginia Tech football defensive coordinator Bud Foster, recently presented a donation of $20,000 to the New River Community College Educational Foundation.
The donation specifically supports the Access to Community College Education Program
(ACCE) at New River CC. ACCE is an economic development public/private partnership that makes college available debt-free to high school and home-schooled graduates by funding NRCC tuition for two years. During the program, ACCE students complete at least 80 hours of local volunteer service annually.
“One of our missions has always been to support education,” said Jim Tynan, president of the Lunch Pail Defense Foundation. “Our desire is to help students who may have overcome obstacles or adverse circumstances yet who have managed to thrive. We’re not necessarily looking for students with perfect GPAs, but those students who are willing to work and give back to their community. ACCE is a perfect fit. Bud and I and our board are very happy to be a part of this shared vision with NRCC.”
“We are so grateful for the support of all of our community partners, including the Lunch Pail Defense Foundation,” said Angie Covey, executive director of the NRCC Educational Foundation. “The impact of this gift will reach well beyond classroom success. Their very generous contribution will ensure that our local students can get a quality education without having to take on student debt.”
To date, students in the ACCE program have given back over 25,000 hours of volunteer service to their local communities, including work at local animal shelters, fire departments, police departments and elementary schools.
With the support of ACCE, students graduate from NRCC prepared to join the workforce or transfer to a four-year university without college debt. The program supports as many students as possible based on student need and funds available for the program.
The Lunch Pail Defense Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose dual purpose is to fund academic scholarships for eligible high school students from the New River or Roanoke Valley areas, as well as assist the families of those awaiting organ transplants.
For more information about the ACCE program and how to support it, visit www.nr.edu/acce.
