Published December 1, 2022
In the past two years, Dodge City Community College (DC3) has made numerous improvements to its critical structures across campus such as new sidewalks, mezzanines, sound systems, directional signage, interior building renovations, and landscaping. And now the college is setting a new goal through its new Purple with Purpose fundraising campaign to create a new weight room for its student-athletes.
According to Christina Haselhorst, DC3 Director of Foundation and Community Relations, this new weight room will be built within the existing Athletics building. And this new facility will not only help improve recruitment, but it will also help increase enrollment.
“While the Student Activity Center provides topnotch spaces for some of our student-athletes and is an impressive structure in the prestigious Jayhawk Conference, it does not include a weight training facility,” she said. “An updated weight room will be relocated within the Athletics building, near the original gymnasium, to a larger space to better accommodate all athletic programs.”
An artist’s rendition of the proposed new DC3 student-athlete weight room.
After its relocation and transformation, the new weight room will be an up-to-date space for all of DC3’s athletic teams, and it will feature cutting-edge training equipment that is comparable to other Kansas community colleges.
“The current equipment and space do not even match the caliber of some area high schools,” Haselhorst said. “Without successfully obtaining these long-overdue improvements, DC3 will continue to lack the equipment to expand our offerings for fitness, exercise, and healthy living activities for our student-athletes.”
Not only will this new project elevate the visibility of DC3’s athletic programs, Haselhorst said it also will put the college in a better position to provide the programs and activities expected of an academic institution of its size.
“When the Purple with Purpose campaign succeeds, everybody wins: students, college, and community,” she said. “Our goal is to raise more than $900,000 to complete this project by next summer.”
Haselhorst said that not only do student-athletes benefit from the enhanced physical fitness and emotional support of teammates, coaches, and mentors, they also learn accountability, self-discipline, and leadership. In turn, they tend to instill a sense of pride in the greater community and serve as a rallying point for school spirit.
“Our student-athletes are community members and are an integral part of Dodge City and Ford County, whether they are from the area or from around the world,” she said. “They give back to the local community by volunteering their time in classrooms, helping with community clean-up projects, moving furniture for local entities, volunteering during Dodge City Days, and much more. They also help generate tourism dollars when their families come to visit. And their athletic events generate funds within the local economy when visiting teams utilize hotels and restaurants.”
For those interested in contributing to the Purple with Purpose campaign, Haselhorst said the state of Kansas is currently offering taxpayers a 60% tax credit through House Bill 2239 for those who want to contribute to community college campaigns. With the program, 40% of their donations can then be deducted as charitable contributions on federal taxes.
“If you are interested in the tax credit, I urge you to please discuss this option with your tax professional,” she said. “For example, a $100,000 contribution to DC3 will result in a $60,000 state tax credit on your state tax bill. For some, this can be incredibly beneficial for their financial plans.”
Haselhorst said the tax credit option is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the maximum tax credit per taxpayer per year is $250,000, which is about a $416,000 total donation. Of course, contributions can always be made as federally tax-deductible donations to the DC3 Foundation, which is an IRS recognized 501c3 charitable organization.
“This weight room project is long overdue,” she said. “When the project is complete, the new upgrades will help DC3 to recruit, to retain, and to graduate top student-athletes. In addition, the improvements will provide outlets for creativity, fitness, self-discipline, healthy activities, community opportunities, and general well-being for DC3 students.”
For more information about joining the Purple with Purpose campaign, please contact Christina Haselhorst at (620) 225-9542 or at [email protected].
“Providing a welcoming space for our student-athletes only enhances the experiences they have within the community of Dodge City,” Haselhorst said. “It also yields a higher satisfaction and a greater likelihood of them returning to Dodge City to work and to live or to give back to the college and community in the future.”
By Lance ZieschDC3 Assistant Director of Marketing and Community Relations