Arizona Western College Foundation Seeks Ten Thousand for Emergency Scholarships

The Arizona Western College Foundation announced a Giving Tuesday and year end fundraising drive designed to bolster student scholarships and short term emergency aid. The foundation set a goal of ten thousand dollars for its Gold Heart emergency scholarship fund, up from six thousand dollars distributed through community support in the prior year, and outlined how gifts at specific levels translate into day to day assistance for students.

The release laid out practical examples of impact, noting that a fifty dollar gift can help provide meals, a seventy five dollar gift covers tuition for a high school student to take a college class, and a two hundred fifty dollar gift can pay for textbooks or housing assistance. The foundation also provided donation instructions and a contact for media or questions, including the development director, to support potential donors and reporters seeking details.

Emergency scholarships like the Gold Heart awards are intended to address immediate barriers that cause students to stop attending, such as food insecurity, unexpected tuition shortfalls, textbook costs, and short term housing needs. For La Paz County this kind of aid can be decisive for students balancing work family and education, and the foundation emphasized that gifts are aimed at keeping students enrolled and progressing toward degrees or certificates.

Institutionally, the foundation framed this campaign as part of a long record of scholarship management serving Yuma and La Paz counties. Locally managed philanthropic support can complement public funding by addressing gaps that affect retention and completion. For policymakers and civic leaders, the campaign highlights persistent affordability challenges facing community college students and the role of community contributions in mitigating those pressures.

Community donors will determine the campaign outcome and the scale of assistance available in the coming term. Transparency about how funds are allocated and measurable reporting on student outcomes will be important for accountability as the foundation moves from fundraising to distribution. The campaign underscores the connection between local philanthropy and student success across La Paz County.