Donation from Ascend Cares Foundation will benefit students in PTC Paramedic Program

A recent donation from Ascend Cares Foundation will be used to buy training equipment for students in Piedmont Technical College’s (PTC) Paramedic Program. 

PTC President Dr. Hope E. Rivers accepted a $3,086.86 check Monday, Aug. 12, on behalf of the college’s foundation from Harry Tate, fire chief for the Ascend Performance Materials facility in Greenwood. 

“The generous support we receive from Ascend and other regional employers helps us succeed in our mission of transforming lives and strengthening communities,” Rivers said.    

PTC Paramedic Program Director Kile Antone said equipment purchased with the donation will enable paramedic students to focus on providing pre-hospital emergency care. 

“This is going to help them learn how to do practical, hands-on skills,” Antone said. 

Tate said most of the emergency responders on his staff at the Ascend facility in Greenwood were trained at PTC. The company’s facility in Greenwood has about 380 employees. 

This is the second donation that PTC has received from Ascend Cares Foundation. In 2022, the foundation awarded $4,000 to purchase three King Vision™ Video Laryngoscope Kits for training in the PTC Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic programs. 

“We appreciate the partnership,” said Laura Dudley, interim executive director of the Piedmont Technical College Foundation.