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CLC Foundation

Vision Statement: The Foundation's vision is to be a major force in providing opportunities for students to improve their lives through higher education, employment, personal living and better quality of life.

Mission Statement: To raise money and manage funds, with major focus on student scholarships.

Send e-mail inquiries to the CLC Foundation at: foundation@clcmn.edu

Director's Corner

Dear Friends -

As we look ahead to the beginning of another year at Central Lakes College, the Foundation would like to welcome students attending at both our Brainerd and Staples campuses. Wehope that your experience at CLC is a successful one.

Tuition is going up each year. Because of this, we have seen unequaled numbers of students applying for scholarship aid. We processed nearly 1,000 scholarships during our last school year competing for 650 scholarships. There also has been an enormous increase in applications for our Random Acts of Kindness emergency assistance. The hardest job of our scholarship committee is choosing who should get the money - so many of our students have a need.

The CLC Foundation Board and staff continue to pursue our mission of raising funds for scholarships for CLC students through fundraising events and visiting with individuals and businesses within our surrounding communities. If you supported our Foundation through attendance at one of our events, or by making an annual donation to our scholarship fund, thank you for your support of our mission of scholarships for CLC students.

Sincerely,

Diane Scearcy
Executive Director
CLC Foundation

On August 8 & 9, we paired up with Chanhassen Dinner Theatres to bring “Midlife! The Crisis Musical” to Breezy Point Resort. In addition to dinner and the theatre, Friday night’s activities included a silent auction.  The proceeds from this event will be used to benefit the CLC Foundation Scholarship program.

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Wilczek family donates $10,000

BRAINERD -- The family and friends of Lewis James Wilczek have generously donated $10,000 in his memory to the Central Lakes College Foundation.

Wilczek, who died on April 29, 2007, was a student in the Automotive Technology program at Central Lakes College. He had started at CLC as a post-secondary student during his senior year at Little Falls High School. He graduated with honors from the college in 2004.

His academic success was in evidence by earning Dean’s List honors every semester at CLC.

Rock Lindsay, his college instructor, remembers Wilczek as “a model student who had a love for the trades.”

After graduation, Wilzcek opened Performance Exhaust and Metal Fabrication, where he followed his passion of customizing exhaust and working on trucks and vehicles.

Earnings from the endowment will be used in the form of an annual scholarship and be awarded to a Little Falls High School graduate attending Central Lakes College. This could include a traditional or non-traditional age student. A GPA of 2.5 will be required.

The award will be made for fall semester, with funds released to the student during the following spring semester.

The recipient must be enrolled for at least six semester credits in one of the following programs: Automotive Technology, Marine and Small Engine Repair, Welding and Fabrication, or Machine Tool Technology.

The first award will be made in the fall of 2009.

CLC Foundation Water for sale

The CLC Foundation is selling bottled water to support its scholarshiop program. The bottled water is for sale for $1 per bottle, and it's available at many locations on both the Brainerd and Staples campuses. You also may purchase water by the case by contacting the CLC Foundation Office at 218-855-8135.

Brazilian native wins $1,000 scholarship
Natalia Rosario, a native of Sao Jose dos Camos, Brazil, has been awarded the President’s Scholarship for Academic and Leadership Achievement at Central Lakes College.
The $1,000 scholarship was created through a gift from CLC President Larry Lundblad and wife Karen.
Natalia, who resides near Pequot Lakes, is a second-year honor student earning her Associate in Arts degree, with plans to attain a bachelor’s degree from the College of St. Scholastica, Duluth. She is considering a business management major and wants to own a business after working for a large company.
The scholarship was awarded through the Central Lakes College Foundation to a student who has completed high school within the seven-county region, is enrolled fulltime at CLC, has demonstrated scholastic achievement with a minimum 3.5 (B-plus) grade-point average, and shows leadership through clubs or community service.
Natalia, who had a 3.77 GPA at the start of the fall term, is secretary of the CLC International Club and is active in her church. She has also been a tutor. She lives with the David Steffen family in Ideal Township.
She came to the United States as an exchange student to Nemaha Valley High School in Seneca, Kans., before moving to this area. Her brother, Felipe, was a scholarship winner as a student at CLC and encouraged her to consider enrolling. He is a 2006 graduate.
Natalia is a student worker in the Brainerd campus library and was nominated for the scholarship by Bonnie Meacham, library technician.
She has also received a Crow Wing Cooperative Power scholarship through the CLC Foundation.

Ness family creates college scholarship
The family of the late Bradley D. Ness has created an endowed memorial scholarship that will provide an annual scholarship for Central Lakes College students.
The scholarship will be awarded to students enrolled in the Dental Assisting program at CLC. The students will be studying toward additional education in the dental hygienist and dentistry fields. Students must have at least a 3.00 grade-point average.
Ness was a 1977 graduate of Brainerd High School. He graduated in 1979 from Brainerd Community College. At the University of Minnesota-Duluth, he graduated summa cum laude. In 1983 he graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota Dental School.
Dr. Ness moved to Waseca, where he bought a practice in 1983 and worked until the time of his death July 24, 2007.
Nearly $6,000 has been received for the fund, and the family’s goal is $10,000. Donations are accepted for any amount with the CLC Foundation at 501 W. College Dr., Brainerd, MN. 56401.

SPRING 2007 EVENTS

Second annual Duffer's Open Golf Tournament was held on April 27th at The Legacy. Proceeds from this tournament support scholarships for CLC students and also benefit the Raider Golf Program.

Retired English instructor Ray Frisch was honored at Faculty Appreciation Reception on May 24

Nisswa Women's Club met at CLC and honored its 2007 scholarship recipients

CLC Foundation filmed footage for new video

2008 Fund Activity

HOLDEN PROJECT ACHIEVE AWARDS FOR 2008-09

The fall semester Holden Project Achieve scholarship recipients were selected this week by the Central Lakes College scholarship committee.

This unique scholarship program was started in 2000 by Clarence and Fran Holden and was designed to benefit students with leadership ability from a 60 miles radius of the Brainerd area. Fran and Clarence knew that, if given the right chance, these students would take this knowledge back to their communities, where it would transform into service on school boards, city councils, or other “give back” opportunities.

Students selected will be required to take a 3-credit Front-Line Leadership course fall semester of their freshmen year. The course will be taught by Tom Reese.

This year’s students will be awarded $1500 per year, which is one of the largest scholarships awarded through the Central Lakes College Foundation. Since the inception of this fund 164 students have benefited from this scholarship fund.

Recipients for 2008-09 are:

Jed Madstadt - Brainerd
Josh Haberman - Brainerd
Samantha Sieckert - Brainerd
Felicia Austin - Brainerd
Luke Rosekrans - Pillager
Joshua Alexander - Pillager
Kyle Schaible - Baxter
Erik Peeters - Menahga
Tracy Gustafson - Wadena
Sasha Rubbelke - Baxter
Laura Brodal - Brainerd
Dennis Taute - Milaca

The $350,000 donation received from the Holden’s in 2004 will provide Project Achieve scholarships for generations to come. In addition, the Holden’s have funded 4 full-ride scholarships for CLC students over the past three years, and assisted with a $25,000 gift for the Random Acts of Kindness Fund for assistance with students books.

FOUNDATION RECEIVES SKONE DONATION
E. Terry Skone Scholarship Fund

Terry Skone, who has served as a chartered board member of the CLC Foundation since
1968, continues to support Central Lakes College and the Foundation. He believes in the mission of the Foundation and for that reason he financially supports a fund created in 1988 by his parents. The Edward and Lorraine Skone Scholarship Fund exceeds $70,000 and provides scholarship opportunities for students with need from the Crosby, Deerwood and Aitkin communities. This year alone, the fund will generate more than $3,500 in scholarship aid.

To provide further scholarship aid for the Crosby area students, Terry recently created a new fund which bears his name with a donation of $40,000. The earnings from this fund will be awarded annually to one student from the Cuyuna Range area.

Terry also has donated nearly $200,000 to create the Skone Family Conservatory. This Conservatory located on the Brainerd Campus houses the Pete Humphrey American Indian Collection and contains a collection of 300 pieces and 1,000 books. Humphrey donated this collection to the CLC Foundation in 1995.

Terry was born and raised in the Deerwood area and lived there most of his life. After graduating from Crosby-Ironton High School, he attended Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter. He has been involved in banking since eighth grade. His family owned the First National Bank of Deerwood. Terry bought the bank from his family in 1982 and sold it in 1997, upon his retirement. He has been members of various boards in the area and still serves on the CLC Foundation Board, Deerwood Bank board and is active with Project Haiti. He spends part of the year in Marco Island, Florida.

Special thanks to our volunteer Board of Directors:

James Anderson
Dick Ashmun
Randy Beinhorn, Treasurer
Richard Breen
Sherrie Christensen
Deron Dunkley
Tom Good
Arnold S. Johnson
Larry Kellerman, Staff Liaison
Brian Kirkpatrick
Terry McCollough, Investment Chair
Curt Nielsen, Secretary
Marjorie Nolan
Rick Nolan
John Pecarich, Marketing Chair
Dr. Jerome Poland, MD – President
Lani Longbella Roberts
Darrell Schneider
E. Terry Skone
Warren Williams, Vice President

Physicians of Brainerd Medical Center donate $35,000 to create the Dr. Don Wennberg/BMC Endowment Fund

The physicians of Brainerd Medical Center donated $35,000 to the Central Lakes College Foundation to establish the Dr. Don Wennberg/BMC Endowment Fund. The purpose of this scholarship is to recognize Dr. Wennberg’s longstanding commitment and dedication to our local medical community.

Earnings from the Dr. Don Wennberg/BMC Endowment Fund will provide an annual scholarship to a student who plans to remain and work in the Brainerd area and is enrolled as a full-time student in the PN or RN nursing programs at CLC.  A minimum 3.25 GPA is required.

When Dr. Don Wennberg first arrived in Brainerd in 1974, he established a standard of care that served as an example for all other BMC physicians to strive for in their respective practices. His leadership went beyond physician medical services. He was frequently on the leadership team of BMC and served in key roles at St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

Dr. Wennberg currently serves as the board chair of Brainerd Medical Center Incorporated, the new corporation formed when Brainerd Medical Center integrated with St. Joseph’s Hospital. The umbrella organization, Brainerd Lakes Integrated Health System, oversees operations of both the clinic and hospital. The most significant visible change with this merger is that the BMC physicians now serve as employees of the clinic, rather than as owners.

“Patients come first, and they will benefit as a result of this integration,” Dr. Wennberg said.

Dr. Wennberg graduated from medical school in 1967.  After completing internship and the first year of general surgery, he was selected to serve his two year military obligation in the Navy and was assigned to the Marines  in Viet Nam, and later, Quantico Naval Base in Virginia as a Lieutenant Commander. Upon his return to Minnesota, he completed his general surgery residency in 1974 at St Paul Ramsey Hospital.

Though Dr. Wennberg was the first BMC physician to arrive in Brainerd in late 1974, the planning and incorporation of the medical practice included Drs Ron Sorenson, Paul Milloy, and Don Monda.  In mid 1975, they were joined by Drs Gelbmann, Hadland, and Kuusisto. In 1981, the clinic moved into its existing building on South Sixth Street, and in 1999, Dr. Wennberg became the medical director of BMC.

Dr. Wennberg recently was in the unfortunate position of being on the receiving end of medical services. On June 21, he awoke with chest pains, was not feeling well, and he knew he was having a heart attack. “My first thought was that I was going to miss my first day of work in more than 30 years,” said Dr. Wennberg. A “Level One” was called from his home by the North Ambulance EMTs and in less than one hour, Dr. Wennberg was sent to the Emergency Room at St. Joseph’s, transferred to St. Cloud via air ambulance, and was having a stent placed in a main coronary artery to reestablish the blood flow to his heart.

“I am a living example of the competence of our medical system here. The care I received saved my life.”

Upon making a full recovery from his heart attack, Dr. Wennberg is back in full swing. His medical practice, along with his related administrative duties, has occupied his time and interests for many years. If there were eight days in a week, Dr. Wennberg would most likely work eight days. His interests outside of medicine include the world of computers and the ever-changing technology. He also enjoys the Heartland Symphony, Lake Area Concert Association, and is an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church.

Dr. Wennberg’s future plans include scaling back his work load, but he wants to make sure that the  transition to an integrated health care system is a smooth one. He plans to work more closely with St. Joseph’s Hospital, and intends to be involved with the operation for the foreseeable future.

He stated, “I am honored and humbled by this generous gift from my colleagues in the Clinic’s and my name to further support medical education in our area.”

In addition to this scholarship fund, St. Joseph’s Medical Center recognized Dr. Wennberg for his years of service by establishing the Dr. Don Wennberg Health Professional Scholarship Fund with a $100,000 pledge. This fund, currently in its seventh year of a ten-year commitment, provides ten $1,000 scholarships per year for LPNs and RNs who plan to remain in the community and work at either St. Joseph’s Hospital, or Bethany or Woodland Good Samaritan Communities.

Purple Heart Foundation honors CLC with $120,000

Current and future student veterans and their spouses who attend CLC will benefit from the $120,000 received from the Military order of the Purple Heart Service Foundation.
William Wroolie of Brainerd (second from right), treasurer of the national organization, presented two checks to the CLC Foundation. On hand to offer their thanks were President Larry Lundblad (center), Foundation President Dick Breen (holding check), Foundation Executive Director Diane Scearcy, and Don Pfeffer (left), coordinator of the Veterans Resource Center at CLC and state director of the new statewide initiative to serve veterans at Minnesota's public colleges and universities.
Wroolie, an alumnus, said that CLC is the first college in the state to receive such a donation, which has been made just five times previously since its inception. CLC is believed to be the first community and technical college to benefit from the award.
The larger check, $100,000, will be invested so that earnings can provide future scholarships, while the $20,000 will be applied to more immediate financial aid. It will be used for scholarships starting with the current semester.
This flow-through donation over the next several years is earmarked for use by qualifying students.
Among the eligibility requirements of the contract for this gift are these criteria:
Honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Priority to recipient of the Purple Heart Medal and/or spouse.
Also available to spouse of a veteran of a Purple Heart award.
Applicant must be registered for at least six credits and complete the CLC Foundation application for each semester in which the gift is to be used.
At some date determined by the Purple Heart Foundation, the scholarship program may be opened to children and grandchildren of Purple Heart veterans.

William Van Essen Memorial Fund

The CLC Foundation received a donation in the amount of $36,000 for a scholarship fund dedicated to pre-engineering students on the Brainerd campus.

In 1996 the family of William Van Essen created a memorial fund, which has now surpassed $52,000 with the latest donation from Van Essen’s son, John, a CLC alumnus.

William Van Essen died in 1994 at age 74 and left a legacy of community service. He had a 30-year career as manager and then owner of Van’s Cafe in Brainerd.

William Van Essen was a 1938 Washington High School graduate and a member of the first graduating class of Brainerd State Junior College in 1940. He was enrolled at the University of Minnesota when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and he then enlisted in an elite naval squadron during World War II. After the war, he married Patricia Maghan and raised four sons during 45 years of community service in Brainerd. In 1992 he was named Brainerd Citizen of the Year.

Van Essen was a Distinguished Alumnus of the school and made an impact through his involvement with the American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans, Elks, Jaycees, Lions, Camp Courage, Camp Confidence and St. Francis Catholic Church.

John Van Essen of Fridley is retired from the University of Minnesota Hearing Research Laboratory. John remains connected to the area through a summer residence on Rice Lake. His brother, Mark, has a residence on Round Lake and is employed at DH Docks. His brother, Steve, lives in the Twin Cities.

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center announces nursing scholarship

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center, on the Medical Campus in Crosby, announced a nursing scholarship program in partnership with the Central Lakes College Foundation in Brainerd.  Starting in 2007, five $1,000 scholarships each semester will be awarded to selected nursing students studying at Central Lakes College.  Selection will be made spring semester of each year to second semester LPN students who agree to work 1000 hours as an LPN at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center and/or to a second semester RN who has worked at least 2000 hours at Cuyuna Regional Medical Center.  In addition, grade point average and clinical performance will be evaluated by both Medical Center and College staffs when reviewing applications.

Cuyuna Regional Medical Center (CRMC), a regional leader in state of the art healthcare, supports Central Lakes College’s nursing program and recognizes the need to recruit top of the line nurses.  Cuyuna Regional Medical Center believes it is important to build these relationships and to offer opportunities to motivated and driven students are interested in a nursing career.

The Medical Campus in Crosby is also home to the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS), Central Lakes Medical Clinic, Crosby Eye Clinic and more.  Combined, the Medical Campus has a staff of more than 40 physicians and surgeons and employs more than 700 medical professionals and support staff.  Cuyuna Regional Medical Center is a public district healthcare facility serving people throughout the Lakes area and Greater Minnesota.  It was founded in 1964.