FSCC sign fundraising nearing goal

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Jason E. Silvers/Tribune Fort Scott Community College employees (from left) Allison Olin, Nathan Magee, Mert Barrows, Betty Jo Laflen, Jill Warford and Kathleen Hinrichs, all members of the FSCC Hound Tron fundraising committee, entertain the FSCC Board of Trustees and other college officials during the board's regular meeting Monday. Olin and Magee, dressed as famous singers Sonny Bono and Cher, led the song and dance routine which was also designed to encourage additional donations from FSCC staff as the committee tries to raise money for a new electronic sign and billboard at the college. (Jason E. Silvers/Tribune)

A fundraising committee at Fort Scott Community College is nearing the end of its first major campaign that began nearly a year ago.

A group of several FSCC employees, called the Hound-Tron committee, has been working since early 2009 to raise money for an outdoor electronic one-color LED sign and billboard that would be installed on the college's main campus. Some of the committee members presented details of the plan and an update for the FSCC Board of Trustees during the board's regular meeting on Monday.

Committee member Mert Barrows said the goal is to have the sign installed and ready for operation by this fall.

"We'd love to have it up and running by fall," she said.

The proposed sign, which is 15-feet, 6-inches tall including the post, and 2-feet, 6-inches wide, would be built on the east side of the FSCC campus next to Horton Street. The sign will cost a total of about $31,000 -- a little more than $26,000 for the sign and about $5,000 in installation costs, Barrows said.

To date, the committee has raised $23,673 of the needed funds through gifts and pledges from 93 employees at the college. The committee plans to spend the rest of the school year conducting fundraisers in an attempt to raise the remaining funds needed to purchase the sign. The committee hopes to get all employees at the college to participate, committee member Kathleen Hinrichs said.

The main purpose of the sign will be to help FSCC officials use video and graphics to better communicate to the public. The sign will inform FSCC students and local residents of all events and activities occurring at the college, Hinrichs said.

"This will help us get our event information out to the public," she said. "We want to make sure the community knows and this will be a great tool to let us do that. It will also be another method for us to get information to our students as well."

Committee members who were present during the Monday meeting performed a song and dance routine led by Nathan Magee and Allison Olin who portrayed the famed "Sonny and Cher" musical duo. The routine was designed to entertain trustees and encourage additional gifts and donations from FSCC staff as the group works to meet its financial goal.

Hinrichs said the sign will also feature four panels on each side that can be used for advertising purposes. Advertisers in the community will be able to place 2-3 messages on the sign periodically.

Money generated through local advertising will hopefully help the committee pay the remaining balance on the cost of the sign and help with future fundraising projects at FSCC, Hinrichs said.

"It will also give us future dollars so we can start a budget for our next fundraising campaign and committee," she said. "There are lots of things we want to do on campus. We're not going to stop with the Hound-Tron."

The sign will also feature the FSCC name and logo, colors and slogan, "...College As It Should Be."