COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – A local program designed to assist students attending Kellogg Community College for degrees in two underserved career areas continues to grow.
The Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship Program was recently awarded a $60,000 gift from the Thomas Bott Donor Advised Fund. The gift will be used to directly fund scholarships in the health care field for Branch County students attending Kellogg Community College over a four-year period.
The “Cornerstone” designation for the donation is reserved for private and public donations greater than $50,000 and this donation is the first “Cornerstone” level donation to the Sunrise Promise Scholarship Program.
The Sunrise Promise Scholarship Program was established in 2018 in partnership with the Kellogg Community College Foundation and initial support from the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club and its Foundation. In the fall of 2019, the Sunrise Promise Program awarded 19 needs-based scholarships totaling $20,000 to KCC students enrolled in the health care and skilled trades programs offered by KCC.
The Promise Endowment was established with a goal of raising $500,000 by 2025. The goal of the Keystone Public Match campaign is to raise $200,000 for the Promise Endowment over the next two years.
The Bott Family Trust was established in the names of Dr. Thomas Bott, a local veterinarian and his son Edmund Bott, who was a surgeon in Wyandotte. Both were dedicated to furthering the cause of health care initiatives in the region.
The Bott Family entrusted the president of Southern Michigan Bank and Trust, the president of Century Bank and Trust, and the head of Southern Michigan Bank and Trust’s Wealth Management Department to carry out their vision.
The Bott Family Trust has supported several other health care programs in the past, including a generous donation to the Community Health Center of Branch County (now ProMedica) Foundation.
Anyone who is interested in more information on the Sunrise Promise Program or making a donation should contact Jon Harpst at king8924@aol.com or (517)202-7849.
