Fifth Third Bank has donated $50,000 to St. Clair County Community College's "All Aboard: Campaign for Talent, Technology and Tomorrow." The donation to the SC4 Foundation will pay for a Campus Innovation Center, one of five capital projects that is part of the campaign.

The project will renovate the Memorial Room of the Clara E. Mackenzie Building on the college's Port Huron campus. It will provide a designated area to explore and plan implementation of innovative ideas to move the college's mission forward. The center will include technology tools for collaboration, flexible seating and tables for small or large group opportunities, and an area for visiting groups to use for discussions. The completed center will be named the Fifth Third Bank Campus Innovation Center.

David F. Girodat, president of Fifth Third Bank, Eastern Michigan, announced the donation Friday, June 15, following the SC4 Alumni Association Golf Classic at Port Huron Golf Club in Fort Gratiot.

"We are extremely excited to support the renovation of SC4's Memorial Room and applaud their curiosity to explore, create and provide another useful tool for the college and community," Girodat said. "At Fifth Third we believe curiosity drives people to seek new ideas, and people who seek new ideas can provide more innovative solutions, not just for now, but for generations to come."

SC4 President Dr. Kevin A. Pollock thanked Fifth Third for becoming the largest corporate donor to the campaign to date.

"Fifth Third Bank has been a longtime supporter of SC4," Pollock said. "The Fifth Third Bank Campus Innovation Center is an investment in the college's future. Fifth Third and its employees and customers can take pride in the innovative projects that this center will help to implement to benefit our students, faculty, staff and community."

SC4 and the SC4 Foundation launched the two-year, $1 million campaign Nov. 1. The campaign includes these projects: McMorran Greenway and Street Closure; Natural Science Museum Expansion; Historical Restoration of Room 312, Main Building; Campus Innovation Center; Campus Signage; and student scholarships.

Counting Fifth Third's donation, the overall campaign already has received donations or pledges of $466,162, or 47%, as of June 15.

For more information about the campaign, or to make a donation or pledge, visit www.sc4.edu/allaboard or contact David P. Goetze, SC4's director of college advancement and alumni relations, at (810) 989-5761 or dpgoetze@sc4.edu.

Fifth Third Bank, Eastern Michigan, is based in Southfield. It is metropolitan Detroit's sixth largest bank and has $4.9 billion in assets. Fifth Third Bank serves customers in eight southeastern Michigan counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, St. Clair, Shiawassee, Livingston, Genesee and Washtenaw. It operates 90 banking centers and more than 150 ATMs throughout eastern Michigan.

Founded in 1923, St. Clair County Community College serves students with a variety of on-campus and online classes. The college offers associate degrees, certificate programs, programs that transfer to four-year colleges and universities, and short-term job training. Through its university partners, the college makes bachelor's degrees available locally. The college's main campus is in downtown Port Huron with satellite centers at Algonac, Croswell, Peck and Yale.

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