Sharon and Ron Yoshida

Wonderful Encounters

“I hope this helps students find a pathway for their future, and that they’re happy with that path. I hope they have the feeling that they can also give back by helping someone else when that moment comes.”

For one Bethlehem couple, their unexpected interactions with NCC graduates were life changing. Now they’re returning the favor.

Few people are grateful for having suffered a broken femur. But when Sharon Yoshida went to the hospital for treatment, a physician discovered an unrelated and more serious condition: her esophagus had a large tear where it connects to her stomach.

She had emergency surgery and spent 17 days in the ICU, nearly dying of sepsis.

During Sharon’s time in the hospital and in rehabilitation, her husband, Ron, a former dean and provost at Lehigh University, would by habit ask the medical staff where they received their education.

About half the time, the answer was Northampton Community College.

“They were wonderful — everybody we encountered from the nurse assistants to the occupational therapists and physical therapists,” says Sharon. “So many were from Northampton, and all of them were very skilled and caring."

" “They were very complimentary about Northampton,” adds Ron. “That they received a wonderful education, that the staff was very attentive to their needs. Some of them had gone there for second careers, and they were very positive about their programs and preparation.

“They weren’t equivocating; Northampton helped them get where they were.”

The Yoshidas were so impressed that they established a scholarship fund at NCC for students considering a career in the medical field. Having both benefitted from scholarships themselves, they wanted to pay it forward.

“I hope this helps students find a pathway for their future, and that they’re happy with that path,” says Ron. “I hope they have the feeling that they can also give back by helping someone else when that moment comes.”

Ron and Sharon met in New York when Sharon was a school psychologist and finishing her Ph.D., and Ron was a professor at Fordham. They moved to Bethlehem when Ron became dean of Lehigh University’s College of Education and Sharon took early retirement. After four years as dean, Ron spent four years as provost and then nine years as professor of educational leadership. Having devoted their careers to education, the couple has a deep appreciation for what NCC offers.

“The support for students financially, emotionally and academically is amazing,” says Sharon. “Many of them would not be going to college otherwise. This is an institution that helps young people change their lives.”

Amy ’09 and Michael Klotz

New Course on Campus

With support from Amy ’09 and Michael Klotz, disc golf is taking NCC by storm.

With picturesque courses and carefully manicured greens, traditional golf has attracted enthusiasts for literally generations. However, a growing number of mostly younger players have begun eschewing the long-playing times, expensive equipment and pricey fees for a newer version that seems more in tune with the times... disc golf!

And thanks to Amy and Michael Klotz, it’s a sport that now has a growing following at NCC, attracted by a brand-new disc golf course on campus made possible through their generosity.

A family affair
Amy and Michael Klotz caught the disc golf bug years ago. “My husband played ultimate Frisbee competitively in college and then ‘retired’ into disc golf,” Amy said. So great is their connection to the sport that their family even built their house in walking distance to a disc golf course where they take their boys, Jake, 5, and Elliott, 8.

Amy herself is no stranger to NCC. In fact, she has had a lifetime affiliation with the college that began years ago when she was an energetic young Horizons for Youth program participant, something in which her children have followed suit. Once she aged out of the Horizons program, Amy became a program counselor.

So when it was time to begin her college studies, NCC was a natural starting point. “I feel at home at the college. It’s such a good community here, and when I was studying here, it was a safe place for me to explore and not go into crazy debt.

“NCC was truly a transformative experience for me,” she says. Her affinity for the college led her to become an adjunct accounting professor as well as a generous benefactor through her family’s support of the disc golf course.

Charting a new course
The snazzy new NCC Disc Golf Course debuted on the Bethlehem campus last summer. With nine holes, it is open to the public, accessible at any time and is located adjacent to the East 40 community garden. Rounds can be completed in as little as an hour and there’s no cost to play.

“We saw the value of bringing disc golf to the college for a number of reasons,” said Amy. “Individuals from the college and community members can get together for something fun and active on campus with the benefit of being outdoors. And because it’s affordable and easy to play, anyone can get involved.”

The Klotz family’s appreciation to NCC and their belief in the importance of community engagement played a crucial role in bringing disc golf to the campus.

“Their family’s involvement illustrates the impact of giving back to your community,” said Sharon Beales, vice president of Institutional Advancement. “We’re so very grateful for their vision that brought disc golf to our campus as well as their ongoing support of the college.”

Mack Family

The Beauty of Bequests

When it comes to showing how generosity can bring positive change to a community and inspire others to transform their lives through education, Paul and Harriett Mack wrote the book, or should we say printed it.

The late, former president of the well-known Mack Printing Company and his loving wife created a legacy of philanthropy at NCC that resonates to this very day. Thanks to the Mack’s generosity which included a large bequest, the Mack Family Scholarship Endowment was formed and has impacted the lives of more than 100 students since its creation.

Contributions from the Macks also funded major improvements and expansion to the NCC’s Bethlehem campus library which now proudly bears their name. None of this was a surprise to anyone who knew them, for the Macks were long time contributors to the college. In fact, Paul served as chairman of the NCC Foundation Board and was an active supporter of the college until his passing in 2021, with Harriett preceding him in death in 2020.

The scholarship endowment and library enhancements made possible through their planned gifts have supported both full and part-time students, something that underscored the Macks’ dedication to fostering educational opportunities and commitment to change the lives of all students. Thanks to their foresight through planned giving, today their memories live on through each Mack Family Scholarship recipient and every student who passes through the doors of the Mack Library!

Is a planned gift right for you? When you include Northampton Community College in your estate plan, your generosity makes it possible for students from all walks of life to secure an excellent education that is accessible and affordable. Your planned gift can include a bequest, which is a gift of personal property or other assets that you leave to NCC in your will or estate plan.

To learn more about planned giving and bequests, please contact Denise Smith in NCC’s advancement office at dsmith4@northampton.edu or 610.861.5449. She’ll be happy to answer any questions you have and help you create a gift plan that meets your needs.