“Throughout its history, the focus of CCV has been on the student,” said former CCV president Tim Donovan. “And so much of it is on removing barriers for students. It’s not been about what the College needs, but what removes barriers for students.”
CCV students consistently cite cost as their most formidable barrier, from recent high school graduates who want an education without debt to working adults who are also supporting a family. In response, the College has established scholarships, grants, and other programs to address the barrier of cost—and many of these opportunities are made possible by the generosity of donors who make planned gifts to CCV.
Whether it’s naming CCV in your will, making the College a beneficiary of your retirement plan or other investment account, or another form of legacy giving, planned gifts ensure that future generations of Vermonters have access to higher education. Planned giving plants a seed, preparing individuals and communities for a more vibrant, more resilient future.
The late Ken Libertoff served as Director of the Vermont Association for Mental Health for 30 years. His 2022 bequest established CCV’s Helping Professions Scholarship, which supports students who are working toward careers in the helping professions—broadly defined, it intends to include a variety of career opportunities in mental health, social work, nursing, corrections, and allied health. “Ken very much believed that we needed good mental health professionals, and he worked to create a great mental health system in Vermont,” said Sarah Hofmann, Libertoff’s wife. “For both of us, planned giving…is a gift that keeps on giving because graduates go out into the world and help their communities. It was a way to keep a positive force out there in the community.”
Some planned gifts support CCV’s Life Gap Grants, which provide just-in-time funds to help students address unexpected expenses that might otherwise derail their education. Funds can be used for urgent needs such as vehicle repairs or a sudden loss of child care. With these small grants, CCV is able to help students bridge challenging situations and stay focused on school.
Gifts can also be directed to other CCV funds, including the General Scholarship Fund, which goes directly toward tuition assistance for students.
“We decided to include CCV in our estate planning because we want to support access to higher education for all Vermonters, and nobody does this better than Community College of Vermont,” said former faculty members Mica DeAngelis and Barry Mansfield.
Tim Donovan echoes this confidence in CCV. “If you’re looking for a place to give that does two things—one, it has an immediate impact on peoples’ lives, but more importantly, in the long run it impacts the trajectory of their lives—then I can think of no better place than CCV and its reach in Vermont.”
Donovan has a plea to staff and faculty, and to the community writ large—he’s quick to point out, after all, that there’s almost no one in Vermont who doesn’t have some connection to CCV.
“There are thousands of us whose lives are enhanced by being touched by or participating in this institution, and we should all look for ways that we can give some of that into the future. Find something that made a difference in your life and find a way, by working with the College, to help perpetuate that capacity so it benefits other people in the future.”
If you are interested in learning more about making a planned gift to CCV, please email Aimee Stephenson, Director of Resource Development, at aimee.stephenson@ccv.edu.
