The Lake Washington College Foundation received its largest ever bequest on January 13, 2012: $290,000 from the estate of Eastside resident and educator Marlene “Malka” Fricks. The total bequest to the Foundation is expected to reach $400,000.
The funds will support the new Marlene “Malka” Fricks Scholarship Fund, to support students in Lake Washington Institute of Technology’s Bachelor of Technology in Applied Design (BTAD) program.
A resident of Woodinville at the time of her death in 2011 at the age of 76, Fricks dedicated her life to education, spending a good portion of her career at the Lake Washington School District teaching Spanish and Health and working as a junior and high school counselor. She also served on Woodinville’s original Public Arts Advisory Committee.
The recent gift is the second distribution from Fricks’ estate. In 2011, the Foundation received $75,000, which established the Marlene “Malka” Fricks Scholarship Fund. Four students received scholarships from this fund in 2011. The Fund will continue to provide scholarships for students in this new baccalaureate degree program for many years into the future.
“Education and the arts were deep passions of Ms. Fricks. We are pleased to be able to create this scholarship fund in her honor to help students reaching for their dreams in applied design,” said Foundation Executive Director Laurie Austin. “With college costs rising, financial aid applications increasing and funding dwindling, students struggle to stay in school. Bequests and other planned gifts such as this are invaluable to providing scholarships, and supporting our students and programs.”
To learn more about the Foundation, apply for scholarships, or plan a donation to the Foundation, please visit www.lwtech.edu/foundationgiving.
The Lake Washington College Foundation is as a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation separate from Lake Washington Institute of Technology. A board of directors meets regularly to oversee the activities of the Foundation, review financial reports, designate scholarship and other support for the colleges, and assist with fundraising.
Lake Washington Institute of Technology (LWIT) is a broad-based polytechnic college offering instruction in 36 programs toward a spectrum of more than 100 bachelor and associate level degrees and certificates designed to give students the latest cutting edge skills relevant to today’s workplace. Founded in 1949, LWIT offers hands-on, real-world training in manufacturing, transportation, energy, business, allied health, computer and information systems, food and hospitality, and health and fitness.