The ˿Ƶ Foundation received a $1 million lead donation from Glen and Sherry Thomet of Klamath Falls to launch fundraising efforts to build an athletic fieldhouse at the ˿Ƶ Tech Klamath Falls campus.
The athletic fieldhouse project includes an 8,500-square-foot building that will be constructed adjacent to the Athletics building and will provide an all-season practice and workout facility for student-athletes, as well as serving as a site for community events, health and wellness programs, and academic health science and technology programs.
The fieldhouse project is estimated to cost approximately $3.5 million, which the Foundation is leading the fundraising for.
The Thomets, who have lived in Klamath Falls since 2000, became ˿Ƶ Tech Athletics supporters and received season tickets to attend Hustlin’ Owls basketball games.
“It turned out those tickets were right in front of the President [Naganathan] and his wife, so we got to know them a little bit, and then got to know the softball coach,” Glen said.
The couple continued to be basketball and softball attendees and became part of the athletic family at ˿Ƶ Tech.
“It has been a privilege to get to know and appreciate Glen and Sherry,” said ˿Ƶ Tech President Nagi Naganathan. “We are honored by the Thomets’ lead gift for the athletics fieldhouse project. This is another example of their caring support for ˿Ƶ Tech and our scholar-athletes, and we are deeply grateful.”
The Thomets support two endowed scholarships for athletes at ˿Ƶ Tech and contribute to a third one through the Rotary Club of Klamath County that is awarded to a student attending ˿Ƶ Tech.
When Glen asked Athletic Director John Van Dyke what more could be done to support student-athletes, Van Dyke shared the vision for the large indoor facility to protect students from inclement weather.
"The new fieldhouse at ˿Ƶ Tech will help our student-athletes train and practice indoors, away from bad weather,” Van Dyke said. “It will give them a year-round place to gather and work on their skills, and the Thomet’s gift is a crucial launch of this project and is greatly appreciated.”
“Glen and Sherry are unquestionably two of the most dedicated supporters of ˿Ƶ Tech’s students and programs,” said ˿Ƶ Tech Foundation Executive Director Ken Fincher. “Their investment into ˿Ƶ Tech will benefit decades of Owls.”
Glen says the donation is in honor of their son, Kip, who passed away in 2019, and the couple looks forward to memorializing Kip’s name at the facility.
To learn more about how you can help support students at ˿Ƶ Tech and methods for making a charitable contribution, contact Mira Wonderwheel, Executive Director of Development, at mira.wonderwheel@oit.edu.
###
˿Ƶ the ˿Ƶ Tech Foundation
The ˿Ƶ Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and funds the educational, cultural, charitable, and service functions of the ˿Ƶ.
