CCCC awarded grant for athletic facility

A $200,000 grant has been awarded to the Cloud County Community College Foundation by the Sunderland Foundation in support of the construction of a new athletic facility on the Concordia campus.
The state-of-the-art facility will allow Cloud County athletes to train and work on their skills in ways that have not been possible in the past, and will serve as a recruiting tool for prospective student-athletes.
“We are all very excited to hear the news, and appreciate the generosity of the Sunderland Foundation,” Cloud County athletic director Matt Bechard said, “This amazing gift brings us a step closer to completing this project.”
The 20,680 square foot facility will feature a full-size basketball court, weight room, track runway, multi-purpose area, storage and restroom. It will be used by all 12 of the college's intercollegiate programs on campus.
“This is an amazing start to this huge fundraising effort, and we are so incredibly grateful to have the continued support of the Sunderland Foundation,” Cloud County Foundation director Heather Gennette said, “We hope that this will be the push we need to entice others to donate to this much needed facility.”
The Foundation has already secured nearly $128,000 in additional funds to be used for the new facility.
Gennette said the Foundation will continue to pursue additional grant opportunities, partnerships and fundraising to rase the $1.1 million needed for the project.
The Kansas City-based Sunderland Foundation was established in 1945. It has focused on supporting construction projects and awarding grants to tax-exempt organizations.
In 2019, the Sunderland Foundation awarded more than $150 million to hospitals and health care organizations, human services non-profits, higher education institutions, and arts and culture projects.