Dist Alumnus Ken Schwenker Donates $50K to Building the Dream

04/14/2016

Southeastern Community College’s Building the Dream capital campaign has received another generous gift. Standard of Beaverdale, a locally owned full-service lumber yard and hardware store located in West Burlington, has contributed $50,000 with a single check.

SCC President Dr. Michael Ash says including Standard of Beaverdale’s gift, the College has secured funding pledges of over $9.2 million of the campaign’s $12 million goal.

Kenneth Schwenker, President and owner of Standard of Beaverdale and a member of SCC Class of 1972, authorized the gift.  He was named the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus of the Year for the West Burlington Campus and is a long-time supporter of the college.

Ash notes, “Ken is a community-minded individual with deep roots at SCC. He loves the Blackhawks and is always one of the first businesses to step forward when we have an unmet need. For his outright gift and for his many hours of volunteering and donating in support of our college, we are truly grateful.”

The Building the Dream capital campaign will fund SCC’s expansion initiative of the same name. It includes the new Health Professions Center and the Hall of Sciences on the West Burlington campus, and the Industrial Technologies Training Center on the Keokuk campus. With an estimated total project cost of $27 million, it is the largest, most comprehensive infrastructure investment undertaken by SCC since 1995.

“I’ve always believed that if you want to see positive change, you have to participate in it. I was honored to be asked to invest in the campaign. It really is an investment. Every dollar contributed will pay dividends to our communities. Our company will hire SCC graduates and they will buy our business’s products. Why wouldn’t we want to help?” asks Schwenker.

Campaign chair Michael Shinn, also an SCC alumnus, expressed his sincere appreciation for Schwenker’s gift. “Ken understands that growth and development of our region requires participation. He didn’t hesitate to get involved and actively shares his enthusiasm for the college’s plans with others. That’s what it’s going to take for this campaign to succeed, involvement, investment and building awareness.”

For information about the Building the Dream campaign, contact campaign Becky Rump at (319) 208-5065 or brump@scciowa.edu.

For campaign updates, project details and videos of our progress, visit www.scciowa.edu/buildingthedream.

For more news or to learn about Southeastern Community College, visit: https://www.scciowa.edu/rss/news/index.html