Donors/Partnership Overview

Why Donors Matter

Donors are the lifeblood of BTC. They provide student scholarship gifts to offset tuition, equipment and textbook expenses. They furnish and upgrade labs with the latest in tools, machines and equipment. Occasionally they help with capital construction campaigns. And some 300 of them donate their time and expertise by serving on one of our many program advisory committees.

Our donor partners are diverse but they share one common goal: they want to see our students succeed and prosper.

BTC is about life-changing experiences and the donors who inspire them – business owners, corporate executives, faculty, community leaders, private individuals and staff. If you can lend your time or expertise or make a gift, please consider joining our extended BTC family today.

Please contact us with questions about ways you may give.

Link to our Current Campaigns to find out more!

A Donor’s Perspective

The Blair Family has a long and dedicated connection with education in Whatcom County.  Douglas Blair (David’s Father) served with distinction on the Bellingham School Board from 1955 to 1972. Douglas firmly believed in the value of vocational and technical education and its importance to the community. As a result, Douglas played an important role in helping to establish Bellingham Technical College in 1957.  This is something that brought Douglas great pride, as he would later recount.  

David Blair took heart and followed his father’s example. David also served on the Bellingham School Board from 1993 – 2001. Since that time, David has served on the Bellingham Technical College Foundation Board of Directors since 2005 and currently he serves as the Board President. Not only has David dedicated countless hours in service of BTC and the Foundation, he and wife, Cheryll, set up the Douglas Blair Memorial Endowment to support BTC student learning.

In their own words, David and Cheryll Blair explain their close relationship to Bellingham Technical College:

“We have a long affiliation with Bellingham Technical College (BTC), starting with the location of its vocational technical programs at the current campus site in 1958. We have witnessed the continuing evolution of its programs as it strives to serve the needs of students, employers and the community. We enthusiastically endorse its efforts and performance. BTC uniquely leverages students’ opportunities to change and improve their lives and we are happy to assist that process with our contributions to the Bellingham Technical College Foundation.”
Cheryll & David Blair