Spring Update from the AVC Foundation
As we begin our spring session, we want to take a moment to reach out and update you with some college-related information.
Sage Hall Spectacular Open House
Mark Your calendars for the Sage Hall Spectacular Open House, February 16, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

All are welcome to join the Learning Center as we host a Sage Hall Spectacular Open House! Enjoy refreshments, prizes, scavenger hunts & more! Tour Sage Hall and learn all about Learning Center services.
Purchase Your Presale Wine Walk Tickets
This year’s Wine Walk fundraiser will be hosted on Saturday, April 23 from 5:30 - 8 p.m. Join us for an enjoyable evening of wine tastings, food, live music, and a silent auction.

All proceeds go directly into the Antelope Valley Community Students’ Endowment.
This endowment supports programs dedicated to student success through a grant process.

Tickets are $100 ($75 tax-deductible) if purchased before April 20 and $125 ($100 tax-deductible) if purchased after April 20.

Sponsorships are also available. More information can be found by clicking here.
Foundation Awards Faculty & Staff
Grants for Student Success
During the Fall semester, the AVC Foundation reviewed applications for the faculty and staff grants and is pleased to announce we were able to award $11,209.62 to support student success.

These grants are awarded from the Antelope Valley Community Students’ Endowment, which is partially funded from our annual Wine Walk fundraiser.

Monica Esquivel, Rhetoric & Literacy Adjunct Faculty
Awarded: $400
To purchase Spanish literature books written in Spanish to have available in the AVC Library. Having more Spanish-written novels will allow for students to practice reading in Spanish.

M. Jessica Eaton, Transfer Center Articulation Officer, Faculty
Awarded: $1,339.86
To purchase an information screen and supporting equipment to be displayed in the Transfer Center. Having slides and using QR codes will reduce paper waste and have information readily available to students.

Tanya McGinnis, Counseling & Matriculation Counselor
Awarded: $350
The HOLA club would like to purchase two table banners and ten academic planners for club officers. These items will help them promote more participants to join the club.

Christine Mugnolo, Arts & Humanities Faculty
Awarded: $9,119.76
To purchase WACOM (pressure-sensitive drawing) tablets for use in the classroom for ART 121 and for students to check out for the class.
AVC Community Raised Funds to
Support Hungry Students in Need
Our recent Giving Tuesday campaign was focused on raising funds for our AVC Hearts & Hands Food Pantry. The pantry assists current AVC students who are making forward progress in their academic pursuits and are housing insecure and/or hungry in circumstances where supplemental nutritional food will benefit their academic success.

With COVID-19 affecting our students and their families, the demand for healthy food has increased. This is especially true for our students who are completing their studies remotely which has increased the need for meals to be prepared from home.

Thanks to our generous donors, including our matching donor AES, we were able to raise a total of $20,4073.02!

Donations to the food pantry are always welcome and can be made by clicking here.
John Currado Retires as
Long-Term Foundation Board Member
John Currado joined the AVC Foundation in 1998 and has served as president, alumni chair, member of the President’s Circle, and a member of the executive and finance committee. His time spent with the AVC Foundation has made a tremendous impact on the success of our students.

We wish him well in his upcoming adventures in retirement!
Volunteers Needed for Scholarship Reviews
The AVC Foundation is in need of volunteers to review scholarship applications. All reviews can be done from any computer and would require about 5 hours, at your convenience, between March 1 - 27.

This is a great way to help our students beyond the classroom from the comfort of your home or office!

If you can help, please contact Emily Moulton by February 22 at emoulton@avc.edu or (661) 722-6300 ext. 6996.
California Community Colleges Have Annual Impact of $128.2B, are Major Job Creators
“For taxpayers, for every dollar directed at supporting community colleges, the study finds a 100% rate of return over time.

California’s community colleges support state businesses by increasing consumer spending; supplying a steady flow of qualified, trained workers to the workforce; enriching the lives of students by raising their lifetime earnings and helping them reach their potential; and benefiting state and local taxpayers through higher tax receipts and a reduced demand for social services.”

To read the full article, click here.
Current Fundraising Campaigns
Looking to make a difference for a specific cause? Below are the current campaigns for specific needs or interests that benefit our students. If you are interested in starting your own campaign, please contact our office to get started.
Adan Onofre Memorial Fundraiser for Bench and Nursing Scholarship
In memory of Adan Onofre, former AVC Custodial Supervisor, donations are being accepted to place a campus bench in his honor and to establish a nursing scholarship.  

This bench and scholarship are ways to honor him and his accomplishments at AVC.
Paula Sour Memorial Scholarship Endowment
This memorial scholarship honors Mrs. Paula Sour, the former Westside District principal and teacher. She served as principal at Cottonwood, Rancho Vista and Anaverde Hills Elementary schools. She was inspirational and uplifting and strived for excellence, encouraging faculty, staff and students to do the same. Administrators across the Antelope Valley endow this scholarship in honor of our friends and colleague Paula Sour.
Tim Klein Memorial Scholarship Endowment
This scholarship is given in remembrance of Palmdale High School teacher Tim Klein who perished while climbing El Capitan, June of 2018. In addition to teaching at Palmdale High School, Tim was adjunct faculty at AVC teaching in the EMT program and was instrumental in bringing the EMT program to the high school district. Tim cared deeply about his students, friends, and family and encouraged everyone to strive to achieve their dreams, forge into any collegiate level of education, and love their chosen career.
AVC Hearts & Hands Food Pantry
The ASO Hearts & Hands Pantry was created to encourage campus pride and unity in a dignified manner. The pantry has been designed to assist current AVC students who are making forward progress in their academic pursuits and are housing insecure and/or hungry in circumstances where supplemental nutritional food will benefit their academic success.
Chris Simmons Memorial Scholarship Endowment
Employees at the Palmdale Chick-fil-A had the honor of working with Chris for two years where he served as a Restaurant Trainer. Chris passed away unexpectedly on December 23, 2020, at the age of 22. The goal is to raise at least $10,000 to endow a scholarship fund at Antelope Valley College to honor Chris for many years to come.
Vern Lawson Memorial Scholarship
Vern was a veteran of World War II. As a cadet in the Army Air Corps, he was training to serve with the flight crew on B-24 Liberators, heavy bombers that helped win the war.

He retired 15 years ago but he never really retired. He passed away on October 19, 2021.
Additional ways to directly help our students
Measure AV Construction Updates
Sage Hall
Sage Hall provides instructional space for individual and group instruction, tutoring with a flexible and interactive learning environment that replaces the existing Learning Center facility.

Construction is now complete.
Campus Security
Provide a permanent facility for Campus Security to provide more effective services and communications to the campus. The facility is a single-story 5,660 sq. ft. building with gated parking for security vehicles.

Construction is complete and in occupancy phase.
Marauder Complex
Existing and new modular buildings will provide a complex at Marauder Stadium for team locker rooms, restrooms, training space, equipment, laundry, meeting rooms, and offices. Seven modular buildings, constructed in two phases, will provide 22,500 square feet of usable space.

Still finalizing completion.
Student Services Building
The new main campus entry at Avenue J-12 and 30th Street West will lead to the College's impressive front door, a two-story Student Services building that will provide 58,000 square feet of space for providing enrollment, counseling, financial aid, health, and veterans services.

Currently under construction.
Discovery Lab
The Discovery Lab is a 35,466 square foot technical education facility that will support the relocation and expansion of the welding, fire technology, and electronics programs. New programs including Advanced Manufacturing and Avionics will also be housed in this state-of-the-art facility.

Currently under construction.
Cedar Hall
Cedar Hall is a three-story 65,000 square foot state-of-the-art building that will house classrooms and faculty offices. A theater-style lecture classroom will also be utilized as the Board of Trustees' meeting room.

Currently working on drawing and construction is estimated to complete in September 2024.
The Commons
The 47,353 square foot facility will be the campus core for student life and college activities. The Commons will include a full kitchen and dining facility, a College store, indoor and outdoor spaces for large gatherings, and a student life center that supports student interaction, support, and clubs as well as the student government offices.

The project is in the preliminary stages with an estimated construction completion date of October 2024.