August, 2017 Edition
     
From the Director's Desk



It is back-to-school time on campus this week and it is exciting to welcome new and returning students to A-B Tech. It is a time for new beginnings, new ideas and new needs. You make it possible for our students to succeed by ensuring the resources they need to attend classes. Because of you over a half million dollars were awarded in scholarships, faculty were able to attend trainings to stay on top of the latest instructional methods and trends in their program areas, and assistance was provided to students with emergency financial needs. Last year alone you helped over 70 students purchase books, pay for gas, and buy groceries through the student emergency fund.  Of those students, 32 repaid the money when their financial situation improved. 

 "Words cannot express my gratitude to you, for your continued assistance and support. Being able to continue with my courses, especially being this close to completion is an abundant blessing! Unfortunately, my finances did not line up with my educational goal, and being head of the household singularly. I assure you that I will strive for excellence in my grades as I move forward to graduation!!!!  My humbleness is a result of your understanding and kindness. One of my five-year goals is to become a scholarship donor to A-B Tech as an honor." - A-B Tech Student and Scholarship Recipient   
 
At the end of the day, everything you do when you support A-B Tech benefits a student.  You are changing lives daily and we thank you!

All the best,

Amanda

Amanda Edwards, CFRE 
Executive Director
 
Volunteer Spotlight - Stuart Smolkin 
Volunteering Position: Asheville Radio Museum  at A-B Technical Community College

Time with Organization:
2 years

Occupation:
Mostly retired Senior Executive Marketing Strategy Manager

Stuart joined the Asheville Radio Museum as a volunteer to help bring to life the fascinating story of how radio was first discovered and the huge impact it has on our lives today. He also wanted to encourage interest in STEM in young folks, for example becoming "hams" (amateur radio operators) or communicating with astronauts on the International Space Station. Without radio, we would not have cell phones, wireless internet routers, GPS, and so much more...where would we be without all that technology! Stuart enjoys "giving tours to young folks and seeing their faces light up as they hear the fascinating story of radio...[and] giving tours to older folks...and seeing their pleasure in viewing the equipment they used (or lusted after) over the years." In his spare time, Stuart likes to restore antique farm radios from the 1920's and experiment with today's modern technology.

Thank you Stuart for sharing your passion of the radio with the community. What a cool way to preserve our history and show the origins of so much of our current technology here at A-B Tech! 

Learn more on the
Radio Museum at A-B Tech Website .  
Update from the Office of Sponsored Programs 

The office of Sponsored Programs, under the umbrella of the Foundation, has been hard at work securing grants to support A-B Tech Students. A few examples for the upcoming school year include:
  • Thanks to the Gene Haas Foundation, A-B Tech can now offer $17,500 in new scholarships to support machinists and mechanical engineering students.
  • A grant from Single Stop in partnership with the John M. Belk Endowment will help A-B Tech Staff link students to outside supports, such as legal services, child care or food assistance.  
  • For the second year in a row, the College received a grant from the system office to integrate English as Second Language services with job skills. Only a handful of colleges in the state received this grant. The College received $60,000.
We are looking forward to a productive Academic Year, and collaborating with current and new community partners!
The 14th annual K. Ray Bailey / A-B Tech Foundation Invitational Golf Classic 
A great day of golf for a great cause.

June 2, 2017 was a beautiful day for golf and for helping the students of A-B Tech. As they have for the past 13 years, the proceeds from this annual tournament go directly to the K. Ray Bailey/A-B Tech Foundation Golf Classic Scholarship program, which has grown into one of the largest student scholarships administered by the A-B Tech Foundation. This year, thanks to our wonderful and dedicated sponsors and golfers, the Foundation has been able to award 35 students with scholarships to A-B Tech. With over half of our students needing some form of financial assistance to complete their education, events such as this tournament make a lasting impact on our students, their families, and the community.

This year's winners were:

1st Flight: First Citizens Bank 1st place and McGuire, Wood & Bissette 2nd place.

2nd Flight: GE Aviation 1st place and TD Bank 2nd place

3rd Flight: Novus Architects 1st place and Holston Gases 2nd place

4th Flight: Mechanical Systems and Services 1st place and Jacob Holm 2nd place

We greatly appreciate the work of our Golf Planning Committee and the 25+ A-B Tech staff and local volunteers who helped during the event. Additionally, Meira Cher Padilla, a second year student in our Pre-Nursing Program and a Golf Scholarship recipient, shared the impact of this scholarship in her life.

Finally, we'd like to say a huge "Thank You" to our 2017 Teams and Sponsors for making this such a successful day. Visit the Office of College Advancement's website for more information on tournament sponsors:  https://www.abtech.edu/content/college-advancement/special-events   
Save the Date - Autumn in Asheville  

In This Issue
In This Issue
Donate to A-B Tech

NC State Employees
Combined Campaign

Designation Code #3803
Combined Federal Campaign
Designation Code #75833
2017 A-B Tech Foundation Board of Directors
Chris Young, 2016 Chair
Clean Environments
Young Office
 
Mary Ann Rice, 2016 Vice Chair
NCSECU
 
K. Ray Bailey
President Emeritus, A-B Tech

Joe Brumit
Brumit Restaurant Group   
 
Pat Carver
First Citizens Bank
 
Adam Charnack
Hi-Wire Brewing

Shea Cline
Omni Grove Park Inn
 
Shelia Elingburg
Owner, Downing Place Management, LLC
 
John Ellis
Novus, Bowers, Ellis & Watson Architects

Jack Ferguson
Retired, Lowe's
 
Charles Frederick
TD Bank

Allan Gerson
Retired, Palm Beach State College

Tate Groome
Colton Groome and Company
 
Darryl Hart
Hart Funeral Services, Inc.

Richard Hurley
Retired, Square D Company  
 
Dennis King
President, A-B Tech

Michael Kryzanek
Associate, CBRE Hotels , Province Valuation Group, Inc. 

Thomas Maher
Pisgah Investments, LLC

Michael Meguiar 
GE Aviation

Anita Metcalf
Retired, A-B Tech    


Bill Murdock
Eblen Charities

John Oswald
Mills Manufacturing 

George Pfeiffer, Jr.  
Insurance Services of Asheville
     
Dr. Lary Schulhof
Retired, Physician
 
O'Neal Shelton
Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Steven Sizemore
 Sizemore McGee, PLLC

Ann Skoglund
Beverly-Hanks & Associates

Ray Spells
Retired, Wells Fargo Bank

Ron Storto
Biltmore Farms

Jonathan Szucs
Advanced Superabrasives, Inc
 
Pat Wood
Budweiser of Asheville, Inc.   

Dirk Wilmoth
CFO, A-B Tech

 
Kay Crews
Board Emeritus
 
Nancy Miller
Board Emeritus

Office of College Advancement Staff
 
Amanda Edwards  
Executive Director

Phone: 828-398-7176

Liz Atkinson
 
Lavender Fund Scholarship Advisor 
Phone: 828.398.7564 
 
Amanda Bryan
Development Specialist
Phone: 828-398-7177

Patti Cameron
Campus Volunteer Coordinator
Phone:  828.398.7761
volunteer@abtech.edu

Gretchen Camp
Grants & Foundation Accountant
Phone: 828.398.7278

Susan Haldane
Development/Events Coordinator
Phone: 828.398.7567
susanehaldane@abtech.edu

Coryn Harris 
Director, Resource Development
Phone: 828.398.7571
Helpful Links

The Office of College Advancement  

 

Volunteering at A-B Tech 

 

Archived Foundation Newsletters