Education Opens Doors. Your Gift Keeps Them Open.

Karen Thomas

Education has always played an important role in my family’s story.

I am a second-generation college graduate. My mother was an educator, and my father was a businessman who later returned to college to become one as well.  Through their lives, I saw how education can open doors, create opportunities, and provide the confidence and skills needed to change direction—even later in life.

That lesson continues in my own family.

As a business owner, I have taken computer classes at EC3 to strengthen my knowledge and help me better manage and grow my business. My son is now here pursuing welding certification and is excited about the possibility of beginning a new career. His experience is a powerful reminder that education does not follow just one path. Sometimes it helps a person begin a career. Sometimes it provides the skills to advance. And sometimes it creates the opportunity to start over.

This is why I am proud to serve on the Erie Community College Foundation Board.

Many community college students are working hard to improve their lives while balancing jobs, family responsibilities, transportation challenges, and other financial pressures. Even when tuition assistance is available, a remaining tuition balance or required student fee can become the obstacle that prevents someone from enrolling, continuing a class, earning a certification, or completing a degree.

A relatively small funding gap should not stand between a determined student and a life-changing education.

On Erie Gives Day, I am asking my friends, family, and community to join me in supporting the Erie Community College Foundation. Your gift can help students cover tuition deficits, required fees, and other educational expenses that might otherwise interrupt their progress.

When we help a student stay in school, we are investing in much more than one semester. We are supporting stronger families, new careers, local businesses, and a more skilled and hopeful Erie community.

Education opened doors for my parents. It has continued to open doors for me and my son. Together, we can help ensure those same doors remain open for the next student who is ready to step through them.

Please consider making a gift on Erie Gives Day. Every contribution—regardless of its size—can help close a student’s funding gap and move them closer to a degree, certification, career, and brighter future.

Thank you for believing in the power of education and for supporting a brighter, stronger future for all of Erie County.

To learn about your impact or to have a tour of EC3, contact Shawn Waskiewicz, Executive Director, at ewaskiewicz@ec3pa.org or by phone:  814-413-7015.