Women's scholarship program reaches 100 members

The Education to Empowerment women's scholarship and mentoring program at McHenry County College recently reached its goal of bringing together 100 influential women in McHenry County to support education.

Making the milestone even more significant was that the 100th member was also an E2E scholarship recipient in 2014.

"We're extremely proud of the growth this program has experienced and all the women we've been able to help so far," said Jessica Rizza, development coordinator for the Friends of MCC Foundation.

"E2E is so meaningful because it's not just about a donation, it's about developing relationships. The more members we have, the more women in our community we're able to support as they take important next steps in their lives."

The E2E scholarship provides $10,000 in funding for each student that can be applied toward tuition, books, and fees for a recipient's last year at MCC and first year at an accredited four-year institution. Each E2E member donates $1,000 each year.

The group recently held a fall luncheon at the Venue at Goebbert's in Pingree Grove where guest speaker and former E2E recipient Lindsey Loncsar shared about how the scholarship made a positive impact on her life.

To date, the E2E program has awarded $520,000 in scholarships to 57 female MCC students.

For more information about Education to Empowerment, visit www.mchenry.edu/empower.