It was ”Giving Tuesday” on November 29th, and Clovis Community College took part in its 6th year of existence at Clovis Community.
“Giving Tuesday” created in 2012, is a day of “global generosity” in which on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, benefactors can donate to nonprofits or other entities such as colleges or universities.
This year, Clovis Community made an extended effort to communicate the needs of its college and the hopes for this selfless day of giving by promoting the hashtag “Giving Tuesday” across their social media accounts.
In a video posted to the Clovis Community Facebook page, student Navdeep Kaur proclaimed her thanks to the Clovis Community College circle including the faculty, staff, and donors of Giving Tuesday for their efforts in “ensuring basic needs” of their students.
Looking for donations to Clovis Crush Student Scholarships and the Crush Food Pantry, the goal of 2022’s Giving Tuesday event was $25,000.
Gus and Gerri Bonner, supporters of Clovis Community College were slated to match up to $5000 of CCC’s efforts and Gina Cuttone and Shawn Patty were announced to match up to $2000, as announced on CCC’s Facebook page.
During a ceremony held on Tuesday, it was then announced that Jami Hamel De La Cerda would donate $200,000 to Clovis Community’s efforts for Giving Tuesday.
De La Cerda stated that the donation was made in memory of her mother. With the help of the Diamond Learning Center, the center she founded for adults over the age of 18 with learning disabilities, she was able to donate to Clovis Community such a large sum.
“When I turned 50, I’m 59 now, I promised myself that every step I’d take would be in my mom’s name.” De La Cerda explained that the age of 50 was when her mother took her own life, after winning a battle against cancer fifteen years prior.
“I hit every adult milestone without the strongest person in my world.”
Jami later stated that she understood that the students at the Diamond Learning Center “grow when they are safe and respected,” and related that college students too “need to feel safe to be successful”. With donations like this and the rest of the donations from “Giving Tuesday”, students can now feel safer in their ventures of seeking this higher education.
President Dr. Lori Bennett, with tears in her eyes, thanked Jami Hamel De La Cerda as well as the other sponsors of Giving Tuesday.
“This is beyond what this college has seen and we are so excited to work with you.”
The Giving Tuesday event ended with a loud applause for both Dr. Bennett and Jami Hamel De La Cerda by a crowd of students and faculty who had gathered. Not only did Tuesday Give in terms of dollar amounts, but it ended up giving in thanks and appreciation as well.