SMALLWOOD MAKES BIG IMPACT ON CHIPOLA’S LEGACY CAMPAIGN
Chipola College announced the public phase of their Legacy Fundraising Campaign last September with a press conference. At that time, the members of Chipola’s Legacy Society - Thomas Gould, Robert ‘Buck’ Miller, Charlie Reid, and Robert Trammel, all from Chipola’s Class of 1966, had raised a combined $560,000 on the way to the $1,000,000 campaign goal for the year.
Chipola kicked off the public portion of the campaign, hoping other Chipola alumni would get involved- and they did! After word got out of the Legacy Campaign, calls started coming in and several donations were made. Two commitments stand out.
The first came from Mr. Jesse Smallwood, who is not an Alumnus himself but has a personal connection to Chipola as he lives in Marianna near the college and is the proud grandfather of a Chipola College student. Mr. Smallwood made a significant contribution to address the college's most pressing needs with an an impressive $100,000 unrestricted donation presented at Chipola’s Giving Tuesday Event in early December. But this wasn’t Mr. Smallwood’s first contribution, earlier in the campaign, he pledged an $50,000 to support four-year scholarships for programs in Business, Education, and Nursing.
Mr. Smallwood continues the philanthropic mission shared by his father-in-law, Dr. Wilbur I. Throssell, who served as Chairman of the Literature and Language Department from 1954 -1971 and was the benefactor of the Chipola Literature and Language Festival that Dr. Clemmons started 35 years ago.
The second significant donation during the public phase of the Legacy campaign, a gift of $50,000 allocated to scholarships, came from another long-time supporter of Chipola College, Alumnus of the year in 2007 General James Hart.
General Hart has a rich history with Chipola College dating back to when he helped clear the land for Chipola’s current location when he was just a teenager. Following a distinguished career in the Texas oil industry and his service to the Air Force, General Hart has returned to call Marianna home and is just as big of a supporter as he was when he was the keynote speaker at Chipola’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1997 where he announced a $100,000 donation to Chipola.
Chipola hosted an event on Giving Tuesday in December of last year to introduce students to philanthropy. When young people learn the value of generosity, they become not only better individuals but also catalysts for positive change in their community and in the world. The message to students was to embrace philanthropy by giving of their “time, talent and treasure.” This event was a huge success as Chipola raised nearly $3000 toward the campaign from students and staff.
The result of the generosity of the members of the Legacy Society, the two gentlemen mentioned above, a donation by All In Credit Union towards Chipola’s Food Bank, other donations given by alumni and supporters of Chipola College, and donations made by students and staff on Giving Tuesday, Chipola College is proud to announce that they not only met but exceeded the $1 million goal set for the Legacy Campaign in 2024! To date, Chipola’s Legacy Campaign total is $1,048,000.
Thank you to all who contributed big and small to this fundraising campaign which allows Chipola to continue their mission to “Change Lives and Create Futures”.
Photo one- Dr. Arlene Davis, Dean of Business & Technology, Gen. James Hart and Dr. Sarah Clemmons, Chipola College President
Photo two- Dr. Arlene Davis, Dean of Business & Technology, Mr. Jesse Smallwood and Dr. Sarah Clemmons, Chipola College President