Posted: May 6, 2023Written by: Cuesta College Staff

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The Cuesta College Foundation hosted a successful 50th Anniversary Celebration on May 4 at Oyster Ridge in Santa Margarita. The event featured live music by Cuesta College Jazz, food, and a silent and live auction. It raised an impressive $109,789.94 to support the Foundation’s endowment for the Cuesta Assistance for Student Emergencies (CASE) Fund. 

“We are thrilled with the overwhelming support we received from the community at our 50th Anniversary celebration,” said Cuesta College Foundation Executive Director Shannon Hill. “The funds raised will significantly impact the lives of Cuesta College students and help us continue our mission of providing accessible, affordable, and high-quality education to our community.”

The CASE Fund is a vital resource to the campus community providing emergency grants for Cuesta College students facing urgent and unforeseeable expenses that could cause them to drop out of college. The funds raised at the anniversary celebration will allow the Foundation to create an endowment for the fund and provide critical financial support to students in perpetuity.

“I am proud to say that the Cuesta College Foundation is one of the largest and most active in the whole California Community College system,” said Cuesta College Superintendent / President Dr. Jill Stearns. “As I attend meetings with other college leaders across the state, they are always impressed at the level of support our community offers Cuesta and the numerous gifts that the Foundation stewards. Our donors should be proud of that recognition and the Foundation’s accomplishments.”

Also recognized at the event were alumni Evan Norton, Psy.D. ’12, Adam Watkins ’91, Caren Ray Russom ’88, and Karl Wittstrom ’75, who all received the prestigious Honored Alumni Awards. 

The Cuesta College Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the educational mission of Cuesta College by raising funds and promoting community involvement. Since its founding in 1973, the Foundation has raised millions of dollars for student scholarships, programs, and capital projects. It has become one of California’s top ten community college foundations. For more information about the Cuesta College Foundation or to donate, please visit cuesta.edu/give/.