Foundation hosts Big Give Day fundraiser for scholarships, essential programs
Story by Misty Bouse. Photos submitted.
On March 4–5, the Portland Community College Foundation is hosting its seventh annual Big Give Day, a 36-hour community giving event that brings together alumni, faculty, staff, and friends to support PCC students.
This year, the goal is to raise $150,000 to fund scholarships and essential programs across the college. This ranges from helping students who face food insecurity, to supporting immigrant and refugee students, to helping provide resources to military-affiliated students and others like PCC’s Native and Indigenous students. The difference-making of Big Give Day begins at noon on Wednesday, March 4, and runs through 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, March 5.
“Big Give Day shows what happens when people across our community decide to show up for PCC students,” said PCC Foundation Executive Director Christina Kline. “In just 36 hours, that generosity turns into real support, helping students stay enrolled, focused, and moving toward their goals.”
PCC Board Student Trustee Fareeha Nayebare.
Through the power of crowdfunding and shared networks, supporters can make a direct impact by giving to more than 20 PCC programs and scholarship funds. A full list of participating funds is available on the Big Give Day webpage. Access is the goal.
All gifts are encouraged, no matter the size, as they help provide critical resources that support student success and positive change across the college and community. The Foundation distributes $2.3 million in scholarships annually, ensuring that students in the region have access to an excellent education at PCC and the support needed to succeed, regardless of their ability to pay.
Big Give Day benefits students like foundation scholarship recipient Fareeha Nayebare. She said PCC is much more than credits, it is about survival, purpose and a path forward. Raised in a village in Uganda, she grew up apart from her parents, the only daughter among four brothers. Scholarships brought her to Forest Grove High School, and helped transition her to PCC in summer 2024. Now an Accounting Program student, Nayebare is the student trustee on the college board.
“My family doesn’t have much and they are fully dependent on me,” said Nayebare. “PCC has been transformative. If I were back in Uganda, I would be stuck at home and not sure about my future. Now I have hope. The path is a lot clearer. Dream high and dream big.”
Learn more about the foundation’s Big Give Day at pcc.edu/biggiveday.