The city of Morrison has donated $5,000 to Sauk Valley Community College’s Impact Program as part of the ongoing Mustang Endowment Challenge.

The donation reflects community support for the Impact Program, which offers eligible in-district high school students the opportunity to earn up to three years of tuition and fees at SVCC before they graduate.

“I’m happy the council chose to support this program,” Morrison Mayor Scott Vandermyde said. “It helps Morrison students, our community and the 26 nonprofit organizations that are volunteer partners, and encourages students to remain in the Sauk Valley. We are pleased to donate to the endowment efforts for Morrison schools.”

SVCC Vice President of Advancement Lori Cortez said the donation resulted from ongoing conversations with city leadership.

“Because of the city’s support, the Mustang Challenge endowment efforts have now reached 70% of their goal,” Cortez said.

The Mustang Endowment Challenge is an initiative to fully fund the Impact Program for Morrison schools through community contributions. Donations are still being accepted as SVCC continues its fundraising efforts.

Earlier this year, the Sauk Valley College Foundation reached a major milestone when Polo High School became fully funded through the Impact Program. The effort followed similar success in the Milledgeville-Chadwick school district, which was fully endowed thanks to a gift from the estate of Hal Weaver.

The Polo initiative, known as the Marcos Endowment Challenge, is part of the foundation’s broader $10 million campaign to permanently fund the Impact Program.

The Impact Program currently partners with more than 270 nonprofit organizations throughout the Sauk Valley region. Participating students must complete volunteer service hours with local nonprofits to qualify for tuition support.

To be part of the Impact Program, a student must register by Sept. 1 of their current high school year and must follow a list of benchmarks. They include:

• staying on pace with the graduation date of their graduating class.
• completing 100 community service hours before the graduation date (25 hours per year).
• graduating from a high school or homeschool program within the SVCC district.
• applying for at least one other local, state or national scholarship.
• completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA; if you are not eligible, use the FAFSA forecaster.

Covered costs

Impact Program students have the opportunity to earn three years of tuition and fees at SVCC.

Enrollment begins April 1 of a student’s eighth-grade year and continues until Sept. 1 of their freshman year of high school. The program covers tuition and all fees, with reduced coverage at tiered rates for students who sign up after their freshman year.

• Students who sign up by Sept. 1 of their freshman year of high school are eligible for 100% earned tuition and fees.
• Students who sign up by Sept. 1 of their sophomore year of high school are eligible for 75% earned tuition and fees.
• Students who sign up by Sept. 1 of their junior year of high school are eligible for 50% earned tuition and fees.
• Students who are dismissed from the Impact Program are ineligible to sign up again in a future year.

Other requirements

Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA each semester and complete 25 hours of community service each year. They also must be enrolled in a certificate, degree or transfer program.

For more information about the Impact Program or to explore partnership opportunities, visit svcc.edu/impact or email impact@svcc.edu.

To discuss a donation to the Mustang Endowment Challenge, contact Kim Ewoldsen, executive director of donor relations and economic development, at kim.s.ewoldsen@svcc.edu or 815-600-6267.