Lassiter Gift to Support Public Safety Training
Published: July 12, 2016
Donation will support the purchase of a close-quarter shoot house.
Johnston Community College is pleased to announce a recent major gift by Donnie and Linda Lassiter of Selma.
The donation will support the purchase of a close-quarter shoot house, which will enhance training opportunities for public safety students at JCC.
"We're very excited to be a part of this," Donnie Lassiter said about the gift supporting public safety. "We hope our support will help you and help all law enforcement in Eastern North Carolina. We're very proud to be a part of this community college and all that the College is doing here for our community."
The Lassiters are longtime supporters of the College. In recent years, they have established three endowments with JCC Foundation which have supported performing arts, the Student Ambassadors program, and the named giving project in the College's Learning Resource Center. The Donnie E. and Linda V. Lassiter North Carolina Archives and Local History Room is named in their honor. In early 2013, the Lassiters made another significant gift to the College, which is currently being used with local bond monies and the NC Connect bond funds to renovate the Tart Building.
Mr. Lassiter is retired from Heartland Payment Systems, a company he co-founded. He serves on the University of Mount Olive Board of Trustees and is chair on the Board of Directors for North Carolina Foundation for Christian Ministries. He is former member of the Board of Directors for Johnston Health Foundation. Mrs. Lassiter is a former JCC Foundation Board Director and JCC Performing Arts Advisory board member. They are longtime members of Selma Original Free Will Baptist Church.
"Supporting public safety is a priority for the Lassiters, and their generous gift will have a tremendous impact on the ability of the College to provide realistic training scenarios using live ammunition," said Dr. David Johnston, JCC president. "We are so grateful for yet another tremendous investment they have made in JCC."
The Lassiter gift brings the College closer to purchasing the close-quarter shoot house. JCC needs about $138,000 to fully fund the tactical training facility, which will serve as a regional training site for law enforcement officers.
For more information about this project or other giving opportunities at JCC, please contact Dr. Twyla Wells, executive director of JCC Foundation, at (919) 209-2119 or tcwells@johnstoncc.edu.