The San Bernardino Valley College Foundation has raised nearly $1 million to help students through the pandemic, providing hundreds of Wolverines with everything from internet hot spots to money for food. 
 
The foundation has created multiple grants to assist students with their different needs. The Finish Line Scholars grant — made possible through a $150,000 charitable donation from the Jay Pritzker Foundation and $20,000 from the Inland Empire Community Foundation, in addition to $100,000 from the SBVC Foundation — will make a major impact, as the foundation expects to distribute 540 awards worth $500 by the end of spring. 
 
"The funds are intended to assist enrolled students address any financial hardship that may impact their ability to stay enrolled and continue their studies," SBVC Foundation Interim Director Mike Layne says. 
 
More than 1,400 applications were submitted for this grant. Students who do not receive an emergency aid award from the SBVC Foundation will get priority for a similar $500 award through the Financial Aid Office, Layne says. These awards are made possible by the second round of CARES Act funding. 
 
The SBVC Foundation also received $10,665 from the California Community Colleges Student Relief Fund for Foster Youth to assist 29 current and former foster youth, as well as $45,000 — $15,000 from Growing Inland Achievement and $30,000 from SBVC's Associated Student Government — for hot spot devices to ensure students have reliable internet as they continue with remote learning. In the fall, 132 hot spots, each one with a 12-month data plan, were distributed.