Save Bruce's Place at Copper Mountain College

I am a professor at Copper Mountain College. This fundraising request does not benefit me financially. I am asking for your support to lend a hand to someone who would not ask for it himself. Bruce Campbell is an entrepreneur and small business owner. There are many like him, and I wish I could help them all, but Bruce and his employees serve our very small campus community, so that makes this even more important. Losing Bruce's Place would not only end a small business, it would likely result in the disappearance of somewhere to eat on our campus. 

Bruce's Place (AKA Bruce's Coyote Kitchen) has been a feature at Copper Mountain College and a part of our culture for fourteen years. Bruce Campbell is a member of our campus family, and the lock down and state shut down of our campus has made his ability to make ends meet a constant struggle. Bruce runs the campus food service facility independently of the college. He rents the space from the college, and students are his primary customers. Bruce employs students in his campus facility and in his catering business, both crushed by the lock down and campus closure. 

Bruce has always given back to our community. The College Foundation has a program to feed students without regard to their financial situation. Bruce's Place is a focal point of that program, and Bruce has always gone beyond the parameters to feed students at his own expense. Every graduation, Bruce supports faculty in their breakfast for graduating students. Bruce is a friend, and it pains me greatly to see him suffer financially during this continued crisis.

Bruce has not asked for help. That is not his nature. The campus closed to students in the middle of the spring semester 2020, and district employees began working remotely. That has continued through the summer and into the fall semester. I honestly do not know how Bruce manages to remain operating with only a few take-out customers daily. 

I am starting this fundraiser in the hope of saving his business and keeping his presence in our campus culture, because it is important to me. Your support will make the difference. If you are a student or staff member of CMC and no longer coming to campus, I urge you to consider donating what you might have otherwise spent at Bruce's place.

Because Bruce's Place is not a part of the Copper Mountain College District, this is not an official CMC fundraiser, nor is the Copper Mountain College Foundation involved directly in fundraising since it does not meet the mission of the Foundation. However, I believe that having a food service facility in a remote rural campus location does support student success, and supporting Bruce Campbell should a part of our community's, and the greater community's, giving spirit.

Your support will mean so much to the students of the future who will have a place to meet, eat, and study. 

Thank you for your support!

Dean