Lee College recently received a $10,000 donation from the Jay and Kay Eshbach Foundation to help students manage financial challenges through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The gift will go directly to the Lee Cares emergency fund. It will provide Lee College students funding to help cover the cost of necessary expenses that could prevent them from finishing their education, such as medical costs, housing, childcare and food insecurities.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous donation from the Jay and Kay Eshbach Foundation,” said Dr. Lynda Villanueva, Lee College president. “As a public-serving institution, Lee College decided early on during the pandemic that we would do whatever it took to help all students succeed during this strenuous time. Because of this selfless gift, we are now that much closer to achieving that which we’ve set out to do.”
Jay Eshbach, president of the Jay and Kay Eshbach Foundation and founder of Eshbach Retirement Planning in Baytown, hopes this donation will help Lee College students overcome financial barriers to achieve their higher education goals.
“One of the Eshbach Foundation’s core values is to be there when people need us,” he said. “We hope during these difficult times, the grant will help to keep hard-working students on the path toward graduation, even in the midst of many financial pressures.”
So far, more than $150,000 in private donations to the Lee Cares emergency fund has been distributed to students who need help paying for basic needs as the result of job losses or other financial difficulties surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Current Lee College students can apply for Lee Cares scholarships online at https://lee.academicworks.com/opportunities/11144.