Philanthropy in Action
Join the President’s Circle
Becoming a member has profound impact on our talented students and our award-winning programs. We celebrate the well-educated workforce which is crucial to our thriving economy in attracting new business opportunities to the Coachella Valley. The President's Circle: Active, Inspires & Engaged Of all the avenues that exist to [...]
Bon Appétit
COD’s Culinary Arts Program Provides Expert Training for Coachella Valley’s Largest Industry. Students from across California come to study at College of the Desert, eager to train under a team of dynamic chefs who lead the highly accredited Culinary Arts program. Designed to prepare current and future working line [...]
Students Build Tiny Homes On Wheels That Make Big Impact
College of the Desert is on a roll, building Tiny Houses on Wheels that will make a big impact on future communities. The project began in 2020 with a focus of teaching Architecture and Environmental Design students about sustainable building practices while creating a functional living space. Tiny homes [...]
Training Firefighters, EMTs, & Peace Officers
The Legacy of COD's Criminal Justice Program For over 22 years, the Criminal Justice program has drawn service-minded students to career paths reserved for the bold and the brave. Once they graduate, these dedicated young adults enter a demanding line of work where they become today’s true heroes as [...]
Meet Barbara Foster Monachino
Co-chair, Stepping Out for COD 2022 COD Foundation Board of Director Member “I’ve always believed that an education creates a level playing field for all, giving people of all backgrounds, economic and social, the ability to succeed in today’s world. Often there are barriers, financial and societal, to accessing [...]
Meet Chef Elana Hernandez
Driving to COD 90 minutes a day, Elana is inspired to become a pastry chef and own her own business after her Fall 2022 graduation. Inspired by her fondest memories of times spent baking with her Grandma Cookie, COD Culinary student Elana Hernandez left her secure job as a [...]
Sowing Seeds for Good Deeds
The Richard Brooke Foundation has gifted $775,000 to COD. The Coachella Valley attracts a wide variety of altruistic philanthropists each year. The College of the Desert Foundation has been extremely fortunate to have benefitted from Melinda Drickey’s time, talents as a former Board member and her Foundation’s generous funding over [...]
Fund for Student Success
The Fund for Student Success and the Student Emergency Fund provided critical resources to students impacted by the pandemic. College graduation marks the time of a student’s final passage from adolescence into adulthood. The walk across the stage is the symbolic entrance of a new beginning and a fresh start. [...]
