Roundhouse Grant Supports CTE Programs

$30K to COCC from The Roundhouse Foundation will support career, technical students

Welding tools, fire boots and teaching supplies are just a few of the essential non-tuition expenses connected to studies in Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) career and technical programs. For some, those costs can pose a financial obstacle. A recently awarded grant from The Roundhouse Foundation of Sisters has put $30,000 into a non-tuition fund for students of COCC’s automotive technology, manufacturing, forest resources technology, early childhood education and fire science programs, with hundreds of students expected to benefit from those dollars.

“These materials are typically not covered by financial aid and can present a significant barrier to education for some students,” said Zak Boone, COCC’s chief advancement officer and executive director of the college’s Foundation. “This incredible new funding builds upon several previous grants from The Roundhouse Foundation, greatly expanding the support open to our career and technical students.” The organization, Boone noted, previously gifted $30,000 to a fund for COCC students in other career and technical programs.

For the 2020-21 school year, some 27% of COCC credit students were enrolled in a career and technical, or CTE, program.

“We are honored to partner with COCC in this effort to help reduce barriers for students looking to continue their education in the trades,” said Erin Borla, executive director of The Roundhouse Foundation. “This project supports individual students and helps to support the evolving workforce needs in a dynamic and growing region.”

The Roundhouse Foundation, a private family foundation, began as a collaboration between founder Kathy Deggendorfer and her mother, Gert Boyle, in 2002. It has since distributed more than $7 million to over 200 organizations throughout rural Oregon.

For more information, contact Zak Boone, COCC’s chief advancement officer and executive director of the COCC Foundation, at zboone@cocc.edu or 541-383-7212.