SCC goes door-to-door in county-wide outreach campaign
Over four days, Southeastern Community College visited 17 apartment complexes in Columbus County and distributed 698 bags full of information on college events and programs happening soon. SCC staff loaded onto the bus and made stops in Chadbourn, Fair Bluff, Tabor City, Whiteville and Lake Waccamaw.
SCC President Dr. Chris English said the door-to-door outreach campaign shows the excellent work ethic of SCC employees and strong efforts in educating the public on SCC’s offerings.
“We want everyone to know that they could go to college for free,” English said. “That was part of the messaging we wanted to deliver to the people of Columbus County, and SCC can help people reach the career that’s right for them.”
The information kits contained flyers and packets on College4Kids, high school summer camps, NCWorks Career Center opportunities, Transitional Studies, Truck Driver Training, Basic Skills and NC Reconnect.
“Believe it or not. People like to see Southeastern in their neighborhoods,” said Denise Young, Director of Apprenticeships. “When we pull up in that bus, they like to see that.
Young said the special part of this outreach was informing the public about NC Reconnect and the “Better Skills, Better Jobs” initiative. At Kent’s Place Apartments in Whiteville, Young spoke with a woman who took some Early Childhood Education classes but never finished her degree. Young said that talking to her about NC Reconnect and its additional resources could inspire her to return to SCC and finish. Young commended the apartment complex managers for their cooperation and excitement in seeing SCC outreach to their tenants.
“It is always a pleasure to meet members of our community and to let them know about all of the great opportunities that are available at SCC,” said Elizabeth High, Dean of Student Learning and Innovation.
“It was fun sharing information about SCC with residents of local apartment complexes,” said Julia Roberts, Counselor and Students Advisor. “Another great part of the outreach event was getting to spend time with college staff outside our usual work environment, and it’s always inspiring to see how all the various departments across the college come together to help students and our community.”
“I recently had the opportunity to participate in our community outreach, engaging with residents across several parts of the county,” said Amanda Heath, Early Childhood Education instructor. “We have an important role in supporting lifelong learning for all members of our community, and it was great connecting and sharing information with them.”
As the new anatomy instructor at SCC and new to the Columbus County area, Mary Gessel described the door-to-door outreach as a teamwork operation with everyone exiting the bus, scattering in all directions and knocking on every door. She visited apartment complexes in Tabor City and Whiteville and said she enjoyed talking to many people of different backgrounds.
“I enjoyed introducing myself to different people within our community,” Gessel said. “My favorite part of the experience was meeting a lady with a niece who earned her high school equivalency diploma, and she needed advice on what to do next. We were able to tell her about the EMS program that she was interested in.”
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