Mott Community College wants to ensure that every student can thrive and succeed as they pursue their dreams, and so the College is building on the legacy of long-time MCC Board of Trustees Chair Lenore Croudy, by creating a Family Life Center in her name.
Mrs. Croudy, an educator and administrator in the Flint School District, community leader, and the longest serving member and Chairperson of the MCC Board of Trustees in the College’s history, passed away in January 2017.
The Lenore Croudy Family Life Center will be home to MCC’s nationally accredited Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) and wrap-around support services designed to help students overcome barriers to completing their degrees. Many students are at risk of not completing their degree due to personal issues and set-backs that occur in the everyday lives.
The College wants to embrace these students, just as Mrs. Croudy did through her years on the Board of Trustees, so it purchased the former Woodside Church, adjacent to the main campus in Flint to turn into a Family Life Center.
“Our family is pleased our mother’s legacy will be carried forward with the Family Life Center at Mott Community College,” said Sean Croudy. “She was passionate about providing opportunities for young people to succeed, and this is the perfect way to honor her.”
The Family Life Center will function as a resource center, housing a battery of support services ranging from community human service and nonprofit information and referrals, the MOTT Eats Food Pantry, assistance with tax return preparation, job and career supports, assistance with housing and homelessness issues through local providers, legal and health-related referrals, to possible laundry facilities.
Planned renovations will allow MCC’s on-site child care center to increase enrollment from a maximum of 75 children to a maximum 125, and to serve children from six months to five years of age. It currently is only available to children two-and-a-half to five years old.
The Family Life Center also will serve as a resource hub, helping MCC students and their families to address such basic needs as food, housing and transportation. Non-student parents of children in the ECLC program will also have the ability to access family support services on site.
“Having a Family Life Center will help eliminate the challenges facing our student parents in accessing high-quality, early education for their children,” said MCC President, Dr. Beverly Walker-Griffea, “and reduce barriers that prevent our some of our students from completing their educations.”
Remodeling and expansion of the ECLC section of the building is underway. Plans include creating four new classroom spaces for infants, young toddlers, older toddlers, and transition age youth, bringing the total number of classrooms to eight. In addition to the new classroom spaces, the renovation will also create new spaces dedicated to gross motor movement for infants/toddlers and pre-school age children, as well as a new, private lactation & feeding room. The ECLA is located on the first floor of the building on the northwest side.
Renovation of the remainder of the building will include turning former offices, a small chapel on the first floor, and the basement level into the MOTT Eats Food Pantry, Ellen’s Closet (a clothing bank that gives gently use professional wear to students seeking employment) and offices that will provide the wrap around services for students with barriers to completion. Frequently, an MCC student’s education is derailed due to housing and food security issues, employment issues, or health issues.
The wrap-around services in the Family Life Center will ensure that students get the extra help they need to succeed.
The former sanctuary will be maintained for multiple uses including music concerts, speakers, plays, and public events.
The more than $10 million renovation, which will include building and site upgrades of the roof, HVAC systems, plumbing, computer networking, parking lots, driveways, sidewalks, and landscaping, is funded in part by a $3 million grant from the Mott Foundation and $5 million from the College’s bonding authority, as approved by the voters.
The remaining project balance of just over $2 million will be raised by securing additional grants and traditional fundraising by the College and the Foundation for Mott Community College through the Lenore’s Lifetime Friends Campaign. To make a donation to Lenore’s Lifetime Friends Campaign, contact Lennetta Coney at lennetta.coney@mcc.edu or call 810-762-0269.
“Mrs. Croudy believed that MCC was the best college in the city, state, nation, and beyond, and she made sure to tell that to everyone. It is our responsibility to live up to that ideal as part of her legacy,” said Walker-Griffea.
