Wheat Belt gives donation to WNCC

Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) received a donation of $25,000 from Wheat Belt Public Power District Thursday at Wheat Belt's headquarters north of Sidney.

The gift will support the Powerline Construction and Maintenance Technology program at WNCC's Alliance campus. Since the program was started 10 years ago, more than 150 linemen have been trained and placed in jobs at power and utility companies.

"This generous donation will be directed to support our power line students and an important program expansion," WNCC President Todd Holcomb said. "This gift will support expanding utilities and training on the Alliance Campus, allowing our students to learn on the latest equipment and fill local jobs that support this in demand field."

According to Wheat Belt CEO Tim Lindahl the program fills an important need. "The linemen that keep the poles and wires delivering power are very special and have a very unique skill set," Lindahl said. "Education and training are extremely important to keep the system working in a reliable and safe way. We require specialized training and we work in less than ideal conditions, millimeters from instant death every day."

The donation comes during WNCC's fundraising campaign "WNCC: Works: Expanding the Possibilities Campaign." The campaign marks WNCC's 90th anniversary. So far, WNCC has raised $8,200,000 or 90 percent of its funraising goal.