Lauzier Foundation awards BBCC $300K for greenhouse
From left to right, LeAnne Parton, BBCC Foundation Executive Director, Dr. Aaron Mahoney, Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty, and Dr. Sara Thompson Tweedy, President of BBCC, pose for a photo after finding out Big Bend was the recipient of a $300,000 grant from the Lauzier Foundation for a new Greenhouse Learning Center.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The Lauzier Foundation recently announced their 2024 charitable recipients list and Big Bend Community College was awarded one long-term pledge to build a Greenhouse Learning Center and an annual grant to support BBCC’s Cellarbration for Education!.
“This new greenhouse learning center will not only provide the college, AG program, and the community with a unique opportunity to have a state-of-the-art facility, but it will also offer numerous opportunities for current and future collaborations,” said Dr. Aaron Mahoney, BBCC Agriculture and Chemistry Faculty.
The Lauzier Foundation awarded $300,000 total over three years to support the construction of the Greenhouse Learning Center at Big Bend. In addition, the BBCC Foundation is also matching at least $100,000 through funds donated by the Kobata & Sons Foundation.
The new Greenhouse Learning Center will be 30’x70’ and located behind the college’s Workforce Education Center. It will include precision growing technologies, heating and cooling options and feature raised garden beds outside the structure for additional growing space. It will supplement an older, much smaller, greenhouse located across campus and be more accessible to where current agriculture classes are being held.
“It's an exciting development that promises to enrich educational experiences and cultivate a vibrant community of shared knowledge and growth, fostering partnerships that extend well beyond the academic sphere,” Mahoney said.
In addition to the Greenhouse Learning Center, Big Bend was also awarded and an annual grant to support the college’s Cellarbration for Education!; an annual fundraiser to support scholarships for students.