When Ivy Tech announced plans for a much-needed expansion of its downtown Indianapolis campus, they received immediate support from a longtime donor to the College.

The Glick Fund, a fund of the Central Indiana Community Foundation, agreed to support a new joint venture between Ivy Tech and Junior Achievement of Central Indiana with a $1 million matching grant. Once the grant is fulfilled, Ivy Tech will be halfway toward its $4 million objective for the project.

Ivy Tech and Junior Achievement of Central Indiana are creating a new building that will house the College's Hospitality Administration Program and Junior Achievement programs like culinary camps for kids. The new state-of-the-art culinary facility at the Gene B. Glick Junior Achievement Center will include labs, kitchens, a restaurant, and an environmentally-friendly "green" rooftop garden. "We are so pleased to be able to make this transformative gift," said Marianne Glick, a director of the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Family Foundation.

"Ivy Tech's culinary arts program gives students skills to embark on productive and satisfying careers. Having the culinary school at the Gene Glick Junior Achievement Center will enhance the organization's catering capabilities, provide on-the-job experience for students and offer enrichment to the community."

The construction of the new facility will provide Ivy Tech Community College with much-needed space for rapidly growing areas of study. Ivy Tech expects program enrollment to double in size in the coming years to help meet the increasing demand for workers in the culinary and hospitality fields. Ivy Tech-Central Indiana Chancellor Hank Dunn, Ph.D., says that other programs will benefit as well.

"Moving the program to the Junior Achievement site accomplishes more than just expanding the culinary and hospitality programs," Dr. Dunn explains. "It frees up much needed space at our main campus to help us accommodate the rapid expansion we have experienced over the past several years. It is this kind of collaboration and partnership that makes this community exceptional."

The matching grant is just the latest contribution to Ivy Tech by the Glick family. In 2004, they gave $1 million that helped build the Gene and Marilyn Glick Technology Center on the Indianapolis campus. The family also supports a wide variety of other organizations focused on education and children's issues, such as the Children's Bureau of Indianapolis, Indiana Society to Prevent Blindness, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Riley Children's Hospital, Jewish Family and Children's Services, and United Way.

In recognition of their extensive philanthropy, the Glicks received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Indiana Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. And this year, Ivy Tech Community College named the Glick Fund 2008 Benefactor of the Year. Dr. Dunn notes that the award represents Ivy Tech's appreciation for the Glicks' commitment to changing lives.

"We are honored by the investment that the Glick family has made in our organizations. It will make a real difference in the lives of so many students who will benefit from this new facility."