In 1986, 6.5 million people literally joined hands from sea to shining sea as a fundraiser to combat hunger and homelessness in an effort called Hands Across America. Now 25 years later, on April 17, a similar event to that demonstration involving 6.5 million participants will physically link millions of hands in one line up and down California.
Hands Across California is a public demonstration to highlight the importance of California Community Colleges, according to Campus Community Relations Manager Reid Milburn of the Foundation for California Community Colleges.
The event will raise funds for the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment, a permanent fund that awards thousands of $1,000 scholarships to all 112 colleges facing critical budget cuts.
“The event is designed as a media blitz to highlight the importance of the community colleges to show not only the elected officials but the public, the people in California how vast the system is, how many students we serve and what a vital role the community colleges play in California’s economy,” Milburn
said.
Sacramento City College student representative for Hands Across California Ruby Simons said she is working with ASG to involve all campus clubs to make this a school event. Simons is actively seeking businesses in the local area to help raise funds and spread the word.
Hands Across California is working with Yahoo! as well as Bing to create route maps to guide participants to the line’s location, locally and statewide, according to its website, HandAcrossCalifornia.org.
People will hold hands along the route beginning at San Joaquin Delta College, cross through Sacramento to the Bay Area, along the central coast to San Diego and end at Bakersfield College.
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“We train 80 percent of [California’s] firefighters and law enforcement officers,” Milburn said.
Seventy percent of California nurses also are trained through the community college system, according to the Chancellor’s Office.
“The California Community College Scholarship Endowment was a gift from the Osher Foundation of $25 million initially,” said Milburn.
The Osher Foundation’s gift in 2008 challenged all 112 community colleges to raise $50 million, which would be augmented by the Osher Foundation by 50 percent, bringing the total endowment to $100 million, according to the Chancellor’s Office.
Local financial aid offices handle the scholarships provided by the endowment. Amounts per college are awarded based on population and are available for the fall and spring semesters, according to Jill Scofield, Foundation for California Community Colleges director of public relations.
To qualify for a $1,000 scholarship, a student must have completed 24 units, be enrolled in 6 units, and qualify for the Board of Governors fee waiver, Scofield said.
“To date, we’ve given in just two years close to 3,000 scholarships throughout the state,” said Scofield. “Of course, through Hands Across California, the goal is to increase that number, so we are giving 5,000 [scholarships] every year, forever.”
“To think that for 10 to 15 minutes we are all going to be physically connected through our hands,” said Milburn. “It’s amazing.”
