With the beginning of spring, it is also time for the annual college Phonathon. This year’s goal has been set at $35,000 and the March 24 opening night was off to a good start. The SCCC baseball team has raised $8,440 to start out this year’s Phonathon. That amount beats last year’s amount by $165. And they are not finished raising funds.
“We still have a few alumni that have told us that they are making a donation but we will not have their commitment until a later date,” said head baseball coach Galen McSpadden. The baseball team raised its donation amount in just over two and a half hours and a few of the players were still trying to contact people at the closing of the opening night time slot.
The participant that received the largest amounts of donations last year was trying to meet or beat his amount from last year. Jonathan Griffith did not reach that goal on the opening night of the Phonathon. With donations of about $1,700, which is only about $150 short of last year’s amount, Griffith said, “It wasn’t because I didn’t try. But, I do have a few donors that have committed to donate but didn’t give an amount.” Participants are given a list of alumni and the baseball team was no exception. Most of the alumni that they were trying to contact were former baseball players for SCCC/ATS.
The alumni are told that the purpose of the Phonathon is to raise funds for scholarships that will assist students at SCCC/ATS so they can receive the education that the donors once received themselves. Participants are awarded strands of beads, funny glasses, hats, candy, glow in the dark cups and a few other items for reaching different amounts.

Along with the fun items the participants can win during their shifts, participants also have the opportunity to win a Wii as well as gift cards and other items. Dean of Student Services, Celeste Donovan, has tried to get groups to commit to a time to do the Phonathon.
The groups and organizations that have made commitments so far are the volleyball team, Student Government Association, Cheer and Dance, Sports Medicine, Hispanic American Leadership Organization, Pathway, Phi Theta Kappa, Presidential Scholars, the RAs and the women’s basketball team.
“We are still waiting to hear from some of the other groups and organizations around campus,” Donovan said.

For the opening night of this year’s Phonathon, the phones were only manned from 4:30-6:30 p.m., but phones will be manned until 8:30 p.m. weeknights until the closing night of April 11.