Ken and Nancy McKee Foundation presents $5,000 check
~ Press release provided by Laurel Ridge Community College
MIDDLETOWN, Aug. 29 — The skilled trades programs at Laurel Ridge received a boost Aug. 29 with a $5,000 donation from the Ken and Nancy McKee Foundation. Brothers Danny, Jeff, Kenny and Timmy McKee presented the check in the skilled trades wing in Alson H. Smith Hall on the Middletown Campus.
“Thank you to the entire family for the support of the trades here at the community college,” said Andy Gyurisin, development officer for the Laurel Ridge Foundation. “The funds we’re raising will make sure that we stay ahead of the game, make sure we’re always being innovative — it’s an enormous endeavor.”
Skilled trades programs are expensive to operate and expand due to the required building and equipment needs, as well as personnel costs. To support the college in expanding trades programs, the Laurel Ridge Foundation launched the Building the Future fundraising campaign two years ago.
Just that afternoon, power company representatives were meeting with college officials to discuss adding a power line worker program to Laurel Ridge’s offerings, said Jeanian Clark, vice president of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education at the college.
“The work that needs to be done to build out infrastructure is substantial,” she said. “We’re super-excited.”
All four McKee brothers work in the construction industry — Danny, Kenny and Timmy with Kee Construction. The donation is in memory of their parents, Ken and Nancy.
“We thought it was a good cause, especially since we’re all in construction and we went to trade school,” said Jeff McKee.
Timmy McKee is a Laurel Ridge alumnus, having graduated with an associate degree in electronics in the early 90s. Danny McKee said they know of many construction firms hiring Laurel Ridge graduates. He said seeing their late parents’ names displayed in Alson H. Smith Hall is significant to the family.
“Having their names on the wall means a lot to us because it’s funding construction and trades,” said Danny McKee, who earned an associate degree in business from Laurel Ridge, also in the 90s. “The trade has been really good to us and it can be really good to other people who apply themselves.”
Their parents were service-minded, said Jeff McKee.
“We were instilled growing up to give back to our community,” he said. “At some point in time, we all volunteered.”
For more information about skilled trades programs, visit laurelridgeworkforce.com. There are a variety of generous scholarships and grants available to Virginia residents, including the FastForward and G3 programs.
To learn more about the Laurel Ridge Foundation’s Building the Future fund, please visithttps://tinyurl.com/3vh2afyc.
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