Two national non-profit organizations have honored Gateway Community College (GCC) for the work done by its Center for Working Students to promote student success and economic security.

GCC was one of 10 colleges nationwide to receive a 2011 College Innovator Award from The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Center for Working Families, an initiative to help low-income families reach financial stability and move up the economic ladder, and MDC, an organization that works to close the gaps that separate people from opportunity.

The awards were distributed at the Center for Working Families’ annual fall convening event held Nov. 1-3 at Des Moines Area Community College at the Ankeny Campus in Des Moines, Iowa. Dr. James Boger, coordinator of GCC’s Center for Working Students, and GCC’s Dean of Students Dr. Wilson Luna attended to accept the award.

Launched in 2009, GCC’s Center for Working Students provides GCC students with a comprehensive set of services and support designed to help them complete a college degree, earn more money, and ultimately provide better futures for their families and children.

It acts as a concierge resource, connecting students to academic support services, career planning services, income and work support services, and financial literacy services. The center is funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in collaboration with Workforce Alliance in New Haven.