LAWRENCEBURG, IND., MAY 15, 2020 – The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF) recently awarded a $5,000 grant to Ivy Tech Foundation to help provide emergency relief to students in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DCF awarded the proactive grant to the student emergency relief fund, which provides help to students in need based on established criteria, said Fred McCarter, Executive Director of DCF. “We learned that the fund was being used more than usual due to the COVID-19 crisis, so we wanted to help out. Many students work in the restaurant and other service/retail businesses and are out of work.”

The DCF grant will also help Ivy Tech Foundation receive matching funds from other generous statewide donors to help support students negatively impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.  

“Dearborn Community Foundation’s commitment during the COVID-19 health crisis to Ivy Tech students and their educational success is truly full of passion, and the charitable donation is sincerely appreciated by the entire Ivy Tech family,” said Mark Graver, Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg Chancellor. “Our top priority is the health and well-being of our students and this exceedingly generous grant will provide financial assistance to many of our students faced with COVID-19 related challenges.”

Challenges faced by students include loss of employment, food insecurity, childcare needs, and even housing uncertainty, Graver said. “We are humbled and grateful to DCF for recognizing a local community need and quickly responding,” he said.

Thanks to the generosity of donors, DCF has awarded nearly $90,000 in grants, including the grant to Ivy Tech Foundation, to charitable organizations who help people in the Dearborn County community during the COVID-19 pandemic.