Thillen Education Foundation Reaches $1M Campaign Goal

Greene County High School students celebrate the Thillen Education Foundation (TEF) reaching their $1,000,000 campaign goal. Pictured with the students are Dave and Elaine Thillen, co-founders of TEF, Shannon Daniel, director of operations of TEF, Ellen Dracos Lemming, TEF campaign chair, and John Ellenberg, chief executive officer of GCCA.

More than $100,000 to be Awarded to Greene County High School 2022 Graduates

GREENSBORO, JANUARY 11, 2022: The Thillen Education Foundation has reached its $1 million target for its “Pathway to a Million” capital campaign. “Just four months into the campaign, the outpouring of community support for GCCA is simply remarkable. We are grateful to everyone who has helped secure more financially stable futures for Greene County High School graduates,” says Dave Thillen, founder and CEO of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For the program’s first graduating class in May 2022, the foundation will commit more than $100,000 in earned financial assistance for continued education or launching a civilian or military career.

Under the leadership of Campaign Chair Ellen Dracos Lemming, Thillen Education Foundation’s successful $1 million capital campaign marks the beginning of the foundation’s legacy to students. “More than 200 individual donors have supported the foundation’s efforts, as well as a dozen corporate sponsors. We’ve only just begun to see what the lake community can do to end generational poverty. We hope these numbers continue to grow each day,” she said.

Launched September 7, 2021, “Pathway to a Million” established funding goals to ensure the longevity of its commitment to provide earned college scholarship dollars and financial assistance to skilled trade workers and future military students of the Greene College & Career Academy (GCCA) at Greene County High School. To earn these awards, each student will have engaged in weekly coaching sessions and will have met milestone achievements throughout high school. Collectively, students work with 111 volunteer career coaches to participate in 4,