A Conversation With: Sandra Box

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She had been the foundation’s associate director since 2011. Before joining Central Penn College, she was a resource development specialist at Harrisburg Area Community College for 10 years.

Box is a graduate of Shippensburg Area High School and did coursework at HACC. She is also a licensed real estate agent.

She lives with her husband in Hampden Township and has a stepdaughter, a daughter and a granddaughter.

Q: What is the key to effectively gaining donations and grant money in a competitive climate?

A: You have to know the person you’re approaching for donations and what it is they are passionate about. Every donation is tied to someone’s passion. If I go to a community leader and say we are looking for scholarship dollars to help students graduate, which will in turn improve our community because these students will stay in the community, they’ll bring money to the community and have a tie to the community. You have to have a story that is compelling and make certain you’ve picked the right person. Otherwise you’re wasting your time and their time and, in this type of an environment, we don’t have that kind of time to waste.

Tell me one of the success stories that motivates your work.

I had a scholarship application out and I had one student whose essay was very compelling but didn’t meet the criteria for the scholarship. I thought: I have to find something because this is a student who struggled his first term, then a lightbulb went off and you could see the improvement in his academics, his involvement on campus, his behavior. Everybody said this student has promise.

I explained to him that he did not receive the scholarship but I was impressed by his essay. I said, “I did some further research and I am able to give you another scholarship for $1,000.” This is a big guy, about 6-foot-2, 250 pounds. He literally almost cried in my office, and said, “I need to know who you talked to because I have to thank them.” He left my office, walked over to each one of their offices and thanked them personally for helping him get this scholarship.

Central Penn College has been through rapid growth in the past two decades, academically and physically. How will the Education Foundation help the college continue this pace?

I want to get more involved in the chamber of commerce to get to know more businesses to see how we can partner with them, whether it be through raising scholarship dollars, or the college partnering with them. … Our college has a component for each of our students that has some type of volunteer time, it’s a requirement. I want to get involved with the Rotary to identify some opportunities to get students involved. … The primary goal is to raise scholarship dollars. The only way I can do that is to get involved with our vendors, our business leaders and our community.

What is the most memorable executive training session you’ve ever been to?

I just went to a workshop where the young gentleman was simply phenomenal. After I left there it made me think of things I never would have thought of before. Any time you leave training and you are energized and the creative juices are flowing, I think it’s a success.