Taft College celebrated its 100th birthday and received a total of $600,000 in donations from five large donors. This money will go to Taft College Foundation’s legacy fund for a new vocational center.
“I am humbled by the generosity of the companies who donated to the Taft College Legacy Campaign,” said Dr. Debra S. Daniels, Superintendent and President. “The Taft College Centennial Gala event was a tremendously successful event attended by over 300 people.”
Each donor presented their gift to Taft College during the 100th birthday celebration. The following are the amounts of donations received from each donor:
- Chevron $250,000
- Valley Strong Credit Union $100,000
- Dignity Health Memorial and Mercy hospitals $100,000
- California Resources Corporation $100,000
- Synagro $50,000
The goal is to raise $1 million to provide Taft students with modern educational technology.
Community members, students, alumni, faculty, and staff members also donated money to the Taft College Foundation legacy fund.
“The money will be used to help construct our next building project which is a new vocational center to help address the career and technical skills training gap in our area,” said Daniels.
Dante Scarnecchia was the keynote speaker at the Taft Centennial Gala. He is an alumnus from Taft College, and he was the star of the night at the 100th birthday celebration. Scarnecchia is a winner of five Super Bowl rings; he is a former offensive line coach for the National Football League’s New England Patriots.
“He talked about how his time at Taft College laid the perfect foundation for his highly successful professional career and personal development,” said Daniels.
People are still able to donate to the Legacy Campaign through December 2022 through their website.