Clackamas Community College President Dr. Tim Cook is an avid runner. For the past several years, he has been working toward a goal of running a marathon in every U.S. state, sometimes running marathons on back-to-back days.

Today, he has a new goal -- to run to every community college in the state of Oregon nonstop. This summer, he will spend his vacation time running more than 1,500 miles to 17 community colleges over 50 days, averaging 32 miles per day. President Cook aims to raise awareness about the challenges faced by students and advocate for increased state funding to support their basic needs, and he is seeking support for the cause.

A survey from The Hope Center highlights the pressing needs of Oregon's community college students:

Food insecurity: Approximately 41% of students reported experiencing food insecurity within the previous 30 days.
Housing insecurity: About 52% of students faced housing insecurity in the past year, which includes difficulties such as affording rent, utilities or the need to move frequently.
Homelessness: Nearly 20% of students experienced homelessness in the past year, indicating a lack of stable and safe housing.

Oregon's community colleges serve approximately 200,000 students, accounting for 52% of all public and private higher education enrollments in the state. Many of these students encounter significant obstacles, including housing and food insecurity, lack of child care and transportation issues. Through this run, President Cook seeks to highlight these challenges and generate support to address them.

"As a first-generation college student, I understand the transformative power of education. My lifelong passion has been to help students achieve their dreams by removing the barriers that stand in their way," President Cook said. "Through ROCCS, I aim to shed light on the significant challenges our students face, rally support to address these critical needs, and raise awareness of the valuable role community colleges play in our state."

The funds raised during the Running for Oregon Community College Students (ROCCS) campaign will be distributed to each community college, directly supporting students' essential needs.

The CCC Foundation is seeking sponsors to support the run. To help, contact Haley Stupasky at haley.stupasky@clackamas.edu or 503-594-3421. To donate or learn more about the run, visit www.clackamas.edu/ROCCS.

Source: Clackamas Community College

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