College Hosts Third Annual President’s Luncheon

Cañada College held its Third Annual President’s Luncheon on October 20, 2020. Due to the pandemic, the event was held virtually. In years past, the College has raised funds to support student scholarships through our Promise Scholars Program, where through the generosity of sponsors and donors, students received financial support to continue pursuing their academic goals.  Due to COVID-19, and evaluating the overall needs of the community Cañada serves, the Cañada College Presidents Advisory Group (which hosts the President’s Luncheon) felt it was important to respond to the immediate basic human needs of our students and their families.

The President’s Luncheon, which was held through Zoom, began with a welcome from Rosanne Foust, President & Chief Executive Officer of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA), who is also Chair of the Cañada College President’s Advisory Group. She shared why it was so important to open our hearts for humanity and support students and community during this challenging time when so many San Mateo County residents are struggling to put food on the table, let alone continue their education. The funds raised from the President’s Luncheon will address daily essential needs of our students. This includes support with grocery and book vouchers, technology loans of Chromebooks, access to Drive Up Wi-Fi Service for students and hot spots, direct student aid for emergency relief, plus other support that will help students remain on track to continue their studies and complete their educational goals.

During the Luncheon, President Moore shared how the College and District quickly pivoted in response to the pandemic with a transition from the physical campus to a virtual campus where students not only resumed classes online but received virtual support, campus services, resources and tools for online learning. She also shared the strategic actions the College took to address current challenges, including adopting an Antiracism Framework and identifying six priorities in our Strategic Enrollment Plan. In addition, Alums Rohndell Goodwin and the Honorable Mayor of Menlo Park, Cecilia Taylor, shared their experiences as Cañada College students and encouraged the community to support students’ basic daily needs. Current Cañada College student Nadia Moreno also shared her first-hand benefit of utilizing the Chromebook and hot spot loans during the pandemic. 

To date, the President’s Luncheon has raised more than $32,000 in donations and sponsorships with funds continuing to be collected in the coming weeks. The success of the President’s Luncheon would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Cañada College President’s Advisory Group, college employees, generous donations from event sponsors and many others who donated to support student access to an affordable post-secondary education. Cañada College is thankful to receive such immense support from the community. A recorded version of the President’s Luncheon can be viewed here.