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Betty Sullivan, a registered nurse in the Health Services Center on TCC Northwest, is joining with her family to help others take big steps forward.

Sullivan and her loved ones recently celebrated her 75th birthday by working with the 申博太阳城 Foundation to establish the 肯尼斯·大卫·麦克利兰 Endowed Scholarship—designed to help those with developmental 或者智力障碍 注册该学院的S.T.E.P.S. (Skills, Training and Enrichment for Promoting 成功)项目.

The scholarship honors the life of Sullivan’s brother, who didn’t let disability stop him from achieving goals, said Tom Sullivan, Betty Sullivan’s son. 肯尼斯·麦克勒兰德的 career included three decades in catering services at Dulles International Airport 华盛顿附近.C.

“We felt that his achievements deserved special recognition because he grew up in the 1960s, at a time when there weren’t many opportunities or much hope for people with learning disabilities,” Tom Sullivan said. “我们希望人们有类似的情况 to know about his life and to see that, like him, they too could achieve their goals and lead fulfilling, relatively independent lives if they choose.”

Starting in fall 2022, the scholarship will offer up to $960 in tuition assistance for up to four semesters to qualifying S.T.E.P.S. 追求技能的学生 and credentials that they will use to enter the workforce.

的年代ullivan family sees the scholarship as a way to honor McClelland by translating his spirit and character into tangible assistance.

“TCC has been an important part of my life, and I have seen the spirit of inclusion that is so important to helping students from all walks of life to integrate into the student body and build a sense of community,” said Betty Sullivan, who has been 2009年加入TCC.

We wanted to give someone else a chance to do the same thing, to see that the world is open to all students who are willing and able to participate in the educational 过程. This scholarship may be the means by which we can help some student to lead a better quality, more fulfilling life by contributing to developing a more independent 生活方式.

Betty Sullivan, registered nurse in the Health Services Center TCC Northwest

 

的年代.T.E.P.S. initiative, which is based 在申博太阳城 Northeast, is a noncredit 程序 that works with atypical learners to enhance their employability, general education 还有社交技能. The 程序 offers two tracks of study: Transitional Skills as 以及大学和职业预科. Both tracks are designed to help students gain the competencies needed to lead relatively independent lives, feel a sense of belonging and interact with others on a daily basis—all things most people take for granted, noted Debra Sykes West, coordinator of Community Education.

“We are helping them to gain the hard and soft skills to integrate into the community and to live their lives in whatever way they pursue and at whatever level they are 韦斯特说. “We teach transitional skills for developing self-advocacy, self-development, self-awareness and the ability to investigate options and choices so they can live as normal and happy a life as possible. 有时它可以是一些东西 as simple as managing a checkbook, practicing proper etiquette, using public transportation 或者浏览基本的商业形式.

“Social normalization also is an emphasis of our 程序. 在相互作用方面 and becoming involved in the broader community, we demonstrate the importance and value of relationships with the people and the world around them,” West continued.

Internships and job 程序s provide opportunities for S.T.E.P.S. 学生们 experience in a professional setting, including throughout the TCC District. 学生 spend a semester learning business procedures and providing support services in the geology lab, student library, business services and even the office of a campus president. Off-campus job 程序s offer opportunities in industries such as food service, freight, security and office/administrative support.

The TCC Foundation saw an immediate connection between the goals of the S.T.E.P.S. 以及麦克利兰的遗产. “The scholarship’s intent and the 程序’s purpose align so closely that it is a perfect way to help students to benefit in their personal and professional pursuits,” said Gloria Fisher, coordinator of special projects for TCC基金会. “It’s a great example of the important impact that generous donors can have on our students’ lives—and, by extension, on our community and Tarrant County 在一般情况下.”

More details and applications for the 肯尼斯·大卫·麦克利兰 Endowed Scholarship will be available through TCC基金会 and the TCC Northeast S.T.E.P.S. 程序.

访问TCC基金会网站 to get more information about TCC基金会 or to make a gift for student scholarships 在申博太阳城.