Grainger's gift to Santiago Canyon College is commemorated with a plaque given to Grainger representatives by Santiago Canyon College President Juan Vasquez, third from the left.

Santiago Canyon College has received a $10,000 grant from a private foundation to improve a classroom it uses for technology classes.

“This means a lot to the college, especially now that money for education (is) tight,” said John Weispfenning, a college spokesman.

The Grainger Foundation, part of a Fortune 500 company that supplies building materials, awarded the grant to outfit an existing classroom with comfortable chairs, movable tables and better lights.

“Some of these classes can run for eight hours at a time,” Weispfenning said.

Santiago Canyon’s Career and Technical Education Division’s main classroom, now known as the Grainger Room, is used for workshops and classes on green and sustainable building-code enforcement. The division serves about 200 students.
The grant was awarded to SCC on the recommendation of local Grainger managers Ashley Potts and Travis Williams.

“In Orange County, we have a shortage of skilled labor and by providing this gift for improving learning facilities, we can make a positive impact on students’ environment,” Potts said.

The Rancho Santiago Community College District, which overseas this college and Santa Ana College, has lost millions of dollars in budget cuts.

“It’s times like these that we need to reach out to the private sector, because we are so short on funding,” Weispfenning said. “This kind of partnership is crucial so we can move past that and still improve the quality of education we give to our students.”

– By Martin Syjuco and Kim Galbraith

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