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Camber Foundation Announces Grant to Collaborative Community College Program: Train the East
Camber Foundation has invested $120,000 in Train the East, marking Camber’s first direct collaboration with community colleges in Eastern North Carolina. Led by James Sprunt Community College, Lenoir Community College, Sampson Community College, and Wayne Community College, the initiative serves students across the region, opening more doors to postsecondary education and workforce training.
A Natural Fit
Train the East began by expanding access for the region’s growing Latino population, including hiring bilingual staff to welcome students and families in the language they speak at home. As the program grew, the colleges learned that many other students could benefit from similar support.
Camber’s grant supports the program’s broadened outreach to first-generation college students, students from low-income households, adult learners building new skills, and students from historically marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds.
“Train the East doesn’t treat access as a single problem with a single fix. It looks at the full range of obstacles standing between a student and a credential,” said Leslie Ann Jackson, President and CEO of Camber Foundation. “That type of comprehensive approach is something we would like to see more of across the region.”
Beyond Tuition
In the six rural counties these four colleges serve, including Duplin, Greene, Jones, Lenoir, Sampson, and Wayne, community colleges are a vital route to education and careers close to home. Students bring determination, and tuition is not always the only barrier. Sometimes, it’s daily life: a car breaking down, no one available to watch the kids, an unreliable internet connection, or an unexpected bill. Any one of those can end a semester early.
That is why the initiative combines community outreach, financial support, workforce training, and wraparound services. The goal is not only to help students enroll, but to keep them in their programs and see them through to a completed credential that leads to a good job. The grant helps cover tuition, books, and certification fees, along with transportation, childcare, technology, and emergency financial support.
Local employers benefit too. Healthcare, construction, transportation, advanced manufacturing, and IT companies need skilled workers, and every student who finishes a credential strengthens the regional workforce.
Building on Early Results
The first phase is already showing results. Over two years, the four colleges saw an average five percent increase in students continuing their education. These gains reached across curriculum programs, workforce continuing education, Career and College Promise, and Early College.
“In Eastern North Carolina, talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not always equally accessible,” shared Dr. Rusty Hunt, president of Lenoir Community College. “Train the East allows our community colleges to work together to remove barriers, connect more students with education and workforce training, and prepare them for careers that can change the trajectory of their lives. We are grateful to Camber Foundation for investing in our students and in the economic future of our region.”
Added Dr. Patricia Pfeiffer, president of Wayne Community College, “When we connect people with the skills employers need, we create opportunities for individuals to build better lives while strengthening the workforce and economy of our entire community. When we work together, we can make a lasting difference.”
Photo Credit: Lenoir Community College
