Bally’s marks CCRI partnership with $5m donation

Bally’s has donated US$5m to the Community College of Rhode Island Foundation as part of its long-term partnership.

The donation doubles the size of CCRI’s endowment and is the largest in the foundation’s almost 45-year history.

The partnership was announced yesterday (Thursday, September 14) during an event at CCRI’s Flanagan Campus.

Bally’s chairman Soo Kim, said at the event: “It is an honour to partner with CCRI on such an exciting and important initiative. We are proud to play an integral part in offering higher education opportunities for Rhode Island’s workforce, creating new jobs, and driving economic development.

“Rhode Island is our home, and continued investment in its local communities and workforces will always be a top priority for us. While this donation is the latest milestone in our long-term partnership with CCRI, we look forward to supporting this program for many years to come, creating a legacy of economic opportunity.”

“This landmark partnership between Bally’s and CCRI will provide important learning and training for our CCRI students, leading to new workforce opportunities,” said Governor McKee.

“The generous gift provided by one Rhode Island-based company for the benefit of so many of our state’s community college students is a powerful way to advance economic and social opportunity and teach meaningful, transferable workforce skills. I applaud Bally’s for investing in our state’s higher education system and our students.”

The investment will make CCRI the only higher education institution in Rhode Island, and one of a few higher education institutions in New England, to offer students the opportunity to obtain a certificate or associate degree based on a comprehensive gaming-focused curriculum.