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
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Volunteer Spotlight - Stuart Smolkin
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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!
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Update from the Office of Sponsored Programs
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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!
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The 14th annual K. Ray Bailey / A-B Tech Foundation Invitational Golf Classic
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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.
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Save the Date - Autumn in Asheville
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NC State Employees
Combined Campaign
Designation Code #3803
Combined Federal Campaign
Designation Code #75833
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2017
A-B Tech Foundation Board
of Directors
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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
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Office of College Advancement Staff
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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
Susan Haldane
Development/Events Coordinator
Phone: 828.398.7567
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