Student Success

When you donate unrestricted funds, you're empowering students with the flexibility they need to overcome the unexpected. Whether it's covering tuition gaps, paying for textbooks, or addressing emergency expenses, your contribution ensures that students can stay on track, no matter what challenges arise.

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Student Success Fund: Why Unrestricted Giving Matters

Flexibility for Immediate Impact

Unrestricted funds allow the Foundation to meet student needs in real time. Some of the items these funds support include:

  • Emergency Grants: Helping students navigate sudden financial challenges like medical bills or car repairs.
  • Basic Needs Support: Ensuring students have access to food, housing, and essential resources.
  • Scholarships: Bridging the gap between financial aid and the actual cost of education.
  • Targeted Impact: Flexible funding that meets emerging student and college needs.
  • Operations: Supporting Foundation work that ensures efficient stewardship and maximum impact of donated funds. 

Join Us in Making the Sound

Your support for student success ensures SPSCC students have the resources to thrive, graduate, and contribute to a vibrant South Sound region. Contact us at foundation@spscc.edu or call 360-596-5430 to learn how your gift can provide immediate and meaningful impact. 

Being an SPSCC Foundation scholarship recipient gave me a sense of relief—I could put my energy into my craft as opposed to just surviving and struggling to pay for school. Today I’m an executive chef running my own kitchen.

Miriam Padilla|SPSCC Graduate

By the Numbers

  • 1 in 3 students

    relies on financial aid to stay enrolled

  • 1/3 of scholarships and 57% of grants

    are covered by Student Success funds

  • Over 55% of students

    supported by the Foundation are first in their families to attend college

Sounding Off for Student Success

Support for our students comes in many different forms. Student needs are always evolving and so are our approaches.

Graduation applause 2025

What We Do

As the only community college in Thurston County, SPSCC plays a vital role in shaping the future of our region. We work to ensure that unmet student financial needs are identified and equitably met using traditional and innovative strategies that connect student needs to donor goals. Our graduates become the builders, innovators, and problem-solvers who fuel our local economy. Through scholarships, grants, programs, and community events we are working together to sound off for student success and make the Puget Sound region a better place to live, work, and grow!

Whether you have questions, need assistance, or want to stay updated, we're happy to help! Contact us at foundation@spscc.edu or call 360-596-5430.

Areas of Support

  • Student Success Funds

    Donations to our Student Success Fund for greatest student needs allows us to be flexible, innovative, and respond quickly to changing college and student needs.

  • Scholarships

    Covering tuition and fees has always been a barrier for college students. We award more than 800 scholarships every single year to our students.

  • Grants

    Grants give students just-in-time funds to keep their education on track. We award grants for emergencies, testing, technology, tools, supplies, and tuition.

  • Programs

    Academic programs, teams, clubs, and groups can use donated funds to boost learning and create unique experiences for our students.

  • Endowments

    We build permanent funds from your donations that generate ongoing earnings to support students, scholarships, and programs year after year.

  • Events

    The Foundation hosts many specials events throughout the year to raise funds and build connections between our campus and our community.

Contact Us

Making an impact starts with a conversation. Get in touch with the Foundation team. We’re here to help you find the giving path that is right for you.

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Keep in Touch

Mailing Address

South Puget Sound Community College Foundation
2011 Mottman Road SW
Olympia, WA  98512

Physical Address

2421 Heritage Ct SW, 4th Floor
Olympia, WA 98502
Phone: 360-596-5430
Email: foundation@spscc.edu

For SPSCC business hours and contact details, please visit our Hours & Contact page.

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Staff and Board

Our staff and board members are dedicated to advancing our mission of supporting all students. Through our shared commitment to student success, we work together to maintain our reputation as one of the most trusted charitable organizations in the South Sound region.

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SPSCC Foundation Staff

Kelly Green

Vice President for Advancement

Contact

Mary Lou Boles

Program Specialist

Contact

Katie Everson

Fiscal Analyst 

Contact

Christine Hoffmann

Director of Development

Contact

Sophia Marshall

Executive Assistant, Foundation

Contact

Beth Schluter

Director of Finance and Operations

Contact

Meranda Shute

Program Specialist

Contact

Amber Wetzel

Director of Philanthropy

Contact

SPSCC Foundation Board of Directors

Board Leadership

Marcus Glasper - President, Washington State Department of Licensing

Tony Lindgren - Vice President, KMB Architects

Annie Iriye - Immediate Past President

Dr. Timothy Stokes - Secretary, SPSCC College President

Suzanne O'Brien - Treasurer

Rozanne Garman - Trustee Liaison, RHD Enterprises President

Members

Linda Villegas Bremer

Jeana Callicoat, SPSCC Alumna

F. Marland Chancellor, Optum Care Washington

Brent Dille, Dille Law, PLLC

Andrew Downin, OBee Credit Union

Tom Henderson

Cindy Hough

Susan Meenk, CommonSpirit Health

Megan Mikkelsen, Red Door Olympia

Omey Nandyal, Entrepreneur

Daniel O'Neill

Paul Orth, J.A. Morris Construction, LLC

Sean Padget, Right!Systems, Inc

Jason Robertson, JRO + CO

Becci Ryder, SPSCC Alumna

Christy Upton, Christy Upton, CPA, P.S., SPSCC Alumna

Spence Weigand, Virgil Adams Real Estate

Carrie Whisler, OlyFed, SPSCC Alumna

Rodney Youckton, Lucky Eagle Casino & Hotel

Emeritus Members

Valerie Fluetsch

Charlie Frank

Dana Garson*

Ray LaForge

Lynette McCarty

 

*deceased

Staff

Our staff is dedicated to advancing our mission of supporting all students.

Amber Wetzel, Kelly Green, Christine Hoffmann

Kelly Green

Vice President for Advancement

"By bringing together our Public Relations, Events, and Foundation teams under the umbrella of Advancement, I am excited to chart a course that will help our students and the College thrive and continue to be a strong resource and partner for everyone in our community."

Kelly has observed the exponential growth of the Foundation and the College since she began her career at SPSCC 11 years ago. She first served as the Foundation's Events Manager and Foundation Development Manager before transitioning to an executive role in 2015 overseeing SPSCC's College Relations and Events teams. As the Vice President for Advancement, she leads three teams (Public Relations, Events, and the Foundation) to support student success and college advancement.

Contact

 

Mary Lou Boles

Program Specialist

"I love working with an amazing team and helping students access scholarship and grant funding."

Mary Lou is responsible for assisting the Director of Finance and Scholarships with fiscal operations and managing database functions. 

Contact

 

Katie Everson

Fiscal Analyst 

"I am so excited to be a part of the SPSCC community. I am passionate about higher education and helping students reach their personal and academic goals."

Katie is responsible for supporting the fiscal needs of the Foundation and their related LLCS, including Percival Creek Brewing LLC, Percival Creek Distilling LLC, and the Tumwater Falls Laboratory LLC.

Contact

 

Christine Hoffmann

Director of Development

"1 am delighted to be part of a team that works hard to ensure any student can achieve their personal goals. As an SPSCC alum (c/o 2004), I know first-hand just how much the faculty and staff care about students, meeting them where they're at."

Christine is responsible for leading fundraising strategies, overseeing events, driving marketing efforts, fostering community engagement, and building connections with supporters.

Contact

 

Sophia Marshall

Executive Assistant, Foundation

Contact

 

Beth Schluter

Director of Finance and Operations

"Being with the Foundation for just over 10 years, I feel honored every day to work at SPSCC with such dedicated groups of people who work hard every day on behalf of students in the South Sound Region!"

Beth is responsible for the fiscal operations of the foundation and ensuring that scholarship money gets to students. 

Contact

 

Meranda Shute

Program Specialist

"I graduated from SPSCC in 2020 and knew I had to come back to this amazing community. I am proud to be part of a Foundation that supports student success and a college that advocates for equity."

Meranda is responsible for coordinating development efforts such as events, communications, and donor stewardship.

Contact

 

Amber Wetzel

Director of Philanthropy

"I am thrilled to join the Foundation team and support our local community and students through philanthropy."

Amber is responsible for cultivating and fostering community and major donor relationships, planned giving, and community grants. 

Contact

 

Ann Rogers Williams

Development Specialist

"Working with the Foundation team to support the common goal of student success is important to me."

Ann is responsible for implementing Foundation fundraising strategies for annual giving, donor stewardship, communications, and community relationships. 

Contact

Who We Are

The Foundation exists to support student success and expand access to education at South Puget Sound Community College. Together with our supporters, we're building a stronger, more vibrant future for the South Sound.

Student in blue graduation cap and gown holding up their diploma smiling.

Our Mission & Vision

Our mission is to engage the community and build resources to support success for all students. 

Through world class fundraising and community engagement, our vision is for every student to receive a high-quality, inclusive education.

Our Strategic Plan

Throughout 2024-2029, our strategic plan includes supporting empowerment, promoting equitable outcomes, and challenging ourselves to embrace a bold vision for world-class fundraising. These goals are the three pillars of our commitment to helping students.

  • Goal 1:

    100% of all unmet student needs are identified and equitably met.

  • Goal 2:

    Everyone in the community is knowledgeable about, engaged with, and advocates for the college and the foundation.

  • Goal 3:

    Emerging student and college needs are met through world-class fundraising.

Our History

The SPSCC Foundation was offically incorporated in 1982 to build community relationships and create long-term support for students and the college through an endowment. These early efforts, led by SPSCC's president and Foundation staff and board, sparked a legacy of generosity that continues today.

Since then, we've partnered with many generous individuals, businesses, and organizations that believe in education's power to transform lives. Our story is deeply connected to the growth and evolution of South Puget Sound Community College. Learn more about the college's history.

Our Impact

We continue to help break down barriers and address unmet needs of students through our commitment to student success. Learn more about our impact on students and the community by exploring our recent annual reports.

More About the Foundation

  • News

    Read the latest from the Foundation and see what's new at SPSCC.

  • Our Supporters

    Meet the generous individuals and organizations whose committed support makes our mission possible.

  • Our Staff and Board

    We couldn't do what we do without the support of our incredible staff and amazing Board of Directors.

  • Contact Us

    Whether you have questions, need assistance, or want to stay updated, we're happy to help!

Smiling graduate in blue cap and gown stands outdoors among a crowd of fellow graduates. The background shows a sunny campus setting with trees and other students visible. The graduate's face beams with pride and accomplishment as they look directly at the camera, capturing the joyous atmosphere of a graduation ceremony.

South Puget Sound Community College

Foundation

Making the Sound Together

The South Puget Sound Community College Foundation plays a key role in creating opportunities for students by providing financial support through scholarships, grants, and program funds. All of this is made possible by our generous community of supporters. Our mission is simple: to make SPSCC a thriving community where students are empowered to achieve their goals, graduate, and contribute to the local workforce. 

With your help in 2024, we:

  • Raised $1.77M+

    to support SPSCC students through scholarships, emergency grants, and essential programs.

  • Awarded 830 Scholarships

    to help students stay focused and on track toward graduation.

  • Funded 884 Emergency Grants

    to support students facing unexpected challenges like tuition gaps, car repairs, and utility bills.

Students - Need Financial Support?

Apply for scholarships and grants.
Student with Computer

Join Us in Making the Sound

When you give to the SPSCC Foundation, you’re not just making a donation—you’re becoming a Soundmaker. You’re amplifying opportunities, ensuring more students have access to the life-changing power of education.

Connect with us to learn more or donate today to be part of the sound of success.

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