Foundation Donor Spotlight: Amy Card-Lillios

Foundation Donor Spotlight: Amy Card-Lillios

Thursday, April 30, 2020 12:00 AM
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Amy Card-Lillios loves Cleveland State Community College (CSCC) and the CSCC
Foundation, because she loves the impact they are making on the lives of students.
That genuine appreciation has motivated her to volunteer for and donate to the
Foundation for over twenty years!


Amy was born and raised in Cleveland and attended Arnold School. She was accepted
to The Westminster High School in Atlanta where she began her dance career with the
Atlanta Ballet. Her higher education studies took her to Webster College for Women in
our nation’s capital city and to an opportunity to dance with the Washington Ballet. She
completed her studies in New York City at Finch College and continued dancing with
professional ballet companies in New York. After a twenty-three year career, she and
her husband returned to Cleveland to raise their family in her hometown that she loves.


Amy returned home with a great love for helping people and became involved with
organizations that especially help young people. She served on the Board of the Boys
and Girls Club of Cleveland for almost fifteen years, and also served as a sponsor for
young people involved in Interact, a youth program sponsored by the Cleveland Rotary
Club. Amy also taught classical ballet to some of the most advanced students in
Cleveland, which allowed her to combine her love for dance with her love for
encouraging and mentoring young people.


In 2000, Amy was invited to serve as a trustee for the CSCC Foundation, an
organization providing support for the college and students. During her tenure, she was
elected to serve a term as board president, and then was invited back a few years later
to serve again in that leadership role. She has now served the most years as president,
second only to Dr. David F. Adkisson, the founding president. Amy is especially proud
to have been selected as the first and only female president of the Foundation!


Do you know that Amy is also a former Cleveland State student? She heard about an
“Old-Fashioned Clogging” class being offered, and she enrolled. She admits this type
of dance was out of her comfort zone, but she continued with the class for almost two
years, and loved it!


Amy believes that in the United States, everyone deserves the chance, and opportunity,
to get an education. The CSCC Foundation has been working for nearly fifty years to
raise funds for student success and college growth. Even though the state provides
funding assistance, she understands there are many students who fall in the cracks and
still need help. Amy has a deep appreciation for the non-traditional students. “Because
they’ve been ‘out in the big, wild, wonderful world,’ they understand how difficult it can
be to make it in the world without an education. They are more mature and serious
about their education, as they realize where it can lead them. Now more than ever,
students need our help so they can get better-paying jobs as a result of the education
and training that CSCC offers.” She considers the Foundation’s most important work to
be raising the funds to make educational dreams possible. This dedicated work
motivates her to remain involved.


When asked why she volunteers and donates, Amy replied, “It’s simple. It just feels
good to help and do good for others, and I enjoy working with people with whom I share
this same passion. I love this organization and what they are doing for our students and
our communities. It just feels good!”


One of Amy’s proudest moments came as Cleveland State celebrated the college’s 50th
anniversary and all that has been accomplished. And, she is already looking ahead to
the next 50 years which holds opportunity to do more good work. “We’re certainly off to
a great start with strong enrollment numbers, award-winning students, 2019 College of
the Year Award, a new Health & Science building going up on the Cleveland campus,
as well as the collaboration with the McMinn County Higher Education Center and our
Athens campus. Good things are happening at Cleveland State, and I’m proud to be a
part of it!”

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