LAWRENCEVILLE - January 12, 2010

Gwinnett Technical College has received a $50,000 challenge matching grant from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation to benefit the Hudgens Center Tuition Assistance Program at GTC.

The program enables the children of eligible Gwinnett Tech students to attend the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center on campus while their parents are enrolled in classes at Gwinnett Tech.

The community, faculty, staff and board members of Gwinnett Tech raised an initial $50,000 towards the challenge grant to earn the additional $50,000 from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation.

The Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation’s mission is to honor Betty and Davis Fitzgerald by making a difference in the lives of others, primarily through the education and healthcare of the disadvantaged residents of Metro Atlanta and Georgia.

“It is our pleasure to present Gwinnett Technical College with this gift,” says J. Lindsay Stradley, Jr., Board Chair of the Foundation. “We were extremely impressed to see how quickly the Gwinnett Tech community came together to meet the challenge of this grant. The D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center on the Gwinnett Tech campus offers parents and their children a marvelous educational opportunity. We are pleased to help open the doors to parents and children who may otherwise not have had this chance.”

The D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center offers unmatched early care and education for children ages six weeks to 8 years. Recognized by the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education for modeling best practices in early education, the Hudgens Center follows the highest standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

The Hudgens Early Education Center offers infant and toddler care, preschool, Montessori, Georgia Pre-K, Pre-K extended learning and school-age summer camps.

“There can be many obstacles that keep deserving students from attending college, and access to quality, affordable childcare is often at the top of that list. In times of economic challenge, the need is even greater,” explains Mary Beth Byerly, executive director, Gwinnett Tech Foundation. “We are so pleased to be able to ease this burden for our students so that a college education can be attainable, and are greatly appreciative to the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation and the Gwinnett Tech community for their tremendous contributions.”

For more information about the Hudgens Center Tuition Assistance Program, contact the Gwinnett Tech Foundation, 678-226-6306.

For more information about the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center, visit www.GwinnettTech.edu/hudgens or call 678-226-6510.

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