Pictured above: Tiffani Underwood, executive director of the PHCC Foundation, is on the left accepting the check on behalf of the college. Jay Garber, a sales engineer with Phillips Cooperation, presents the check on behalf of the Gene Haas Foundation.
MARTINSVILLE, VA– This week, the Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) Foundation accepted a check from the Gene Haas Foundation for $12,000. This is the fourth year that the Gene Haas Foundation has selected PHCC to be a recipient of this generous donation. The continued support enables PHCC to provide scholarships to students pursuing a variety of engineering and machinist-based programs at PHCC. These programs include PHCC’s popular motorsports program and the college’s new precision machining program.
The Administrator of the Gene Haas Foundation, Kathy Looman, says that supporting PHCC aligns with the foundation’s mission “to expose students to careers in manufacturing and to provide scholarships to the students who choose a career in CNC machining and/or manufacturing engineering.”
According to Looman, support for this particular demographic is crucial because “53% of high school students don’t believe they will have an opportunity to have a good job.”
According to PHCC officials, this support is also critical because scholarships often play a pivotal role in a student’s decision and ability to pursue a field of interest.
“Many of our students rely on scholarship to pursue their goals,” says Tiffani Underwood, the Executive Director of the PHCC Foundation. “We are so very grateful to the continued support the Haas Foundation has shown us. This donation makes an impact in the future of manufacturing and engineering in our area just as it makes an impact in the lives of the PHCC students pursuing these fields.”
The Gene Haas Foundation was founded in 1999 by the owner of Haas Automation, Inc., America’s leading builder of CNC machine tools. To promote American manufacturing and manufacturing education, the Haas Foundation has donated more than 50 million dollars to over 4000 charitable organizations and schools.
Patrick Henry Community College, a comprehensive two-year institution, services Martinsville city as well as Patrick and Henry counties. PHCC is a top-tier leader among community colleges in areas such as athletics, technology, and unique program offerings. By providing a multitude of innovative curricula such as motorsports, entrepreneurship and mechatronics, PHCC is changing lives and enriching the community it serves. PHCC is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.
