More than 800 guests – double last year’s crowd – contributed $277,000 at the Bellevue College Foundation luncheon on April 28. They money goes to support student scholarships and academic programs.

The total outpaced last year’s giving record by 18 percent.

“Our guests came for many reasons: some to help people get a second chance at higher education, others to bolster our role in developing the regional workforce, and still others because they recognize the direct link between education and the overall quality of life in our community,” said Gaynor Hills, Executive Director of the Foundation and Vice President for Institutional Advancement of Bellevue College.

“On behalf of everyone at the college and the Foundation’s dedicated volunteers, I extend our profound gratitude to all who gave so generously of their personal resources,” Hills added. “Your support will have a tangible and beneficial impact on our thousands of our neighbors in the community.”

Led by primary corporate sponsors BECU and Columbia Athletic Clubs, a total of 36 local businesses underwrote the entire luncheon, so that every dollar given by guests would go directly to support students and programs.

Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, gave the keynote address at the luncheon, which was held in the Meydenbauer Center in downtown Bellevue.

Directed by a board of 30 community volunteers, led this year by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, the Bellevue College Foundation is a non-profit organization that receives and manages individual and corporate support on behalf of Bellevue College.

The Foundation awards more than $100,000 annually in merit- and need-based scholarships, and since its inception in 1978 has raised more than $20 million to support scholarships and program enhancements at the college.