Enterprise State Community College and the Enterprise State Community College Foundation formally announced the “Our Community, Our Future” capital campaign during an event on August 15, which has raised almost $2.4 million in community commitments to provide a state-of-the-art training facility for future healthcare workers.

The campaign, which began in September 2023, has the College and the Foundation thrilled to announce a capital campaign fundraising goal of $2.775 million. Funds from the campaign will go toward renovations of ESCC’s Snuggs Hall.

The estimated $6.5 million renovation project will allow Snuggs Hall to house the College’s Allied Health Sciences programs. ESCC offers Medical Assistant Technology (MAT), which began in 2018, and Emergency Medical Services/Paramedic, which started in 2020, as well as several nursing program tracks. The Practical Nursing (PN) program began in 2022, and the first class of the Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program started classes on August 19.

Dr. Sam Sawyer, co-chair of the capital campaign, stated that there was a need to fill critical healthcare worker roles locally. He also shared personal stories about how important it could be to take care of those within the community you come from as a medical professional.

“I’m deep-rooted here,” Sawyer said. “I grew up in New Brockton. I was born in the hospital that I practiced in for 38 years. I came back to Enterprise in 1986, and that’s the only place I ever practiced. Sufficed to say, I’m very invested in this area, and I’m very invested in the medical community here.

“I want to thank all the donors, and I want to thank all the folks that have volunteered to help run this campaign,” he said. “Our goal, $2.775 million, I think it’s achievable.”

ESCC PN graduate and current ADN student Savannah Webb spoke to eventgoers about the impact ESCC had on her education and training. She called Enterprise State a “catalyst for development and support.”

“Our College provides a diverse array of programs that cater to the needs and ambitions of our community members,” she said. “Pursuing a degree in healthcare is a very rigorous process. The people you have surrounding you and supporting you are critical to your success. They always say you can’t do life alone, and I wholeheartedly agree. You need a village. I honestly don’t know if I would be standing here today without ESCC’s nursing program and their faculty. This is my village, and I am so extremely humbled and proud to be a part of it.”

ESCC President Danny Long stated that schematics for the renovations are already being reviewed, and work on the project should begin after the completion of the Performing Arts Center.

“We’re different,” Long said to campaign supporters during the event. “Enterprise State is different. We’re going to do things differently. We’re going to treat our business and industry partners as true partners. We’re going to treat every student that walks through that door as an opportunity. We give hope.

“We’ve been committed to this [capital campaign] project from day one, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for your support. We’ve got another $400,000 to go to reach our new goal, and I know we’re going to get there.”

In a video announcing the campaign to the public, Long calls for continued support to the College through the “Our Community, Our Future” campaign.

“For almost 60 years, Enterprise State Community College has been committed to developing tomorrow’s leaders, while our community has supported us in developing a legacy of excellence,” he says. “Enterprise State Community College and the Enterprise State Community College Foundation is partnering together on a capital campaign that will support and help train the healthcare workers of tomorrow. Just as you have done for the last 60 years, we are asking for your support in this capital campaign, ‘Our Community, Our Future.’”

For more information on the “Our Community, Our Future” capital campaign or to learn how to provide support, email nbradley@escc.edu.