Before a crowd of nearly 600 top donors, the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ celebrated the public launch of a $500 million fundraising campaign Friday night, supporting students, faculty members and special projects such as ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Downtown.
Among the gifts recognized at the was aΒ $7 million gift from for ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Downtown, which increases total community support for the campus to $21 million.
This means ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ can now access the $20 million in state funding to construct a new academic building for about 7,700 ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ and Valencia College students.
Dr. Phillips Charities had previously committed $3 million to the project, but announced its additional $4 million in support during the Friday event.
“Our original contribution was a good start, but when we further considered the transformational impact ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Downtown will have on Orlando, we wanted to help solidify the project,β Dr. Philips Charities CEO Kenneth Robinson toldΒ theΒ .
“We are so proud of how much the community, particularly Dr. Phillips, has invested in this vision,” said ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Downtown Vice Provost Thad Seymour, Jr. “Raising the $20 million in community support is a critical milestone for the project – and one that we’re thrilled to have achieved.”