PCC Foundation’s Big Give Day Aims To Raise Big Money For Students – KXL

PORTLAND, OR – The Portland Community College Foundation will host its seventh annual Big Give Day on March 4th and 5th, a 36-hour community fundraising effort aimed at supporting students across Portland Community College.

The online giving event begins at noon Wednesday, March 4, and runs through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 5. Organizers hope to raise $150,000 to fund scholarships and essential programs that help students stay enrolled and on track to complete their education.

Funds raised during Big Give Day support more than 20 programs and scholarship funds, including resources for students facing food insecurity, immigrant and refugee students, military-affiliated students, and Native and Indigenous students. A full list of participating funds is available on the Big Give Day webpage.

“Big Give Day shows what happens when people across our community decide to show up for PCC students,” said Christina Kline, executive director of the PCC Foundation. “In just 36 hours, that generosity turns into real support, helping students stay enrolled, focused, and moving toward their goals.”

Through crowdfunding and shared networks, alumni, faculty, staff and community members can make gifts of any size. Foundation leaders say every contribution helps expand access to education and critical student support services.

The foundation distributes $2.3 million in scholarships annually to help ensure students throughout the region can pursue higher education regardless of their financial circumstances.

Big Give Day directly benefits students like foundation scholarship recipient Fareeha Nayebare, an accounting student and the student trustee on the college board.

Raised in a village in Uganda, Nayebare grew up apart from her parents as the only daughter among four brothers. Scholarship support helped her attend Forest Grove High School and transition to PCC in summer 2024.

“My family doesn’t have much and they are fully dependent on me,” Nayebare said. “PCC has been transformative. If I were back in Uganda, I would be stuck at home and not sure about my future. Now I have hope. The path is a lot clearer. Dream high and dream big.”