North Coast
Helping Students Access Higher Education
Tillamook Bay Community College Foundation / Tillamook
“We’ve been able to help students who never believed they had a path to a college education find the funding and personal support they need to achieve their dream.”
Heidi Luquette
Executive Director, Tillamook Bay Community College Foundation
Doris Flores is a first–generation student from a low–income household. “College was never talked about while growing up,” she recalls. “When I made the choice to continue my education, I was scared because I felt I would struggle to be successful. It had been 11 years since I graduated high school, and I also had three sons to take care of.”
Since 1997, Tillamook Bay Community College Foundation (TBCCF) has helped students like Doris access higher education through Tillamook Bay Community College. “We believe in education as a catalyst for prosperity,” says Executive Director Heidi Luquette.
Doris recently received the first scholarship from TBCCF’s Teach for Tillamook endowment. Originally launched by a couple who asked for donations instead of wedding gifts, it supports education students who commit to teaching in Tillamook schools after graduation. “The TBCC scholarship program has been super important to my success,” Doris says.
Teach for Tillamook is one of TBCCF’s 15 endowments with OCF. “As we started to grow, we needed a strong strategic partner who could help us with investment options and estate planning for our donors,” Heidi says. “OCF has the expertise to meet our needs and has helped us grow our endowment program.”
From the 2019 Annual Report »