Cascadia Community College held its sixth annual “Make Dreams Come True” breakfast this morning to raise scholarship money, and school officials anticipate a dramatic increase in student financial need next year.

Community college enrollment levels are at an all-time high because more people are turning to community college for an affordable, high-quality education, a school press release stated. State legislators are also on the brink of making a third round of cuts to community college budgets.

“The impact is such that everyone has to shoulder the burden of these budget cuts,” explains Cascadia President Eric Murray. “For students, it means higher tuition rates, and we’re deeply concerned about how this will impact our students at Cascadia. We are depending upon the generosity of our community to help support students in financial need to obtain their higher education goals.”

Recently retired State Rep. Allister (“Al”) H. O’Brien, honorary chair for the event, said, “I genuinely believe in Cascadia. It does a really great job of getting students ready to participate in the new economy and helping displaced workers retool for new careers. I am truly proud of my association with Cascadia over all these years.”

Cascadia hoped to raise more than $60,000 at the breakfast to provide financial assistance to its students.