Goulds donate largest single gift to Seminole State College

The Gould family has donated their former business property, which housed Gould Publications, to Seminole State College of Florida. The approximately 10 acres of land and 80,000-square-foot building space is about 3 miles from the Sanford/Lake Mary campus on U.S. 17/92. Valued at $4.1 million, it is the largest single gift in the history of the college.

"We are very humbled and grateful for the generosity of the Gould family and their decision to donate the land and building space to the Foundation," said John Gyllin, executive director of the Foundation for Seminole State. "The property enables the college to utilize the space for much-needed programs and services to support our students, faculty, staff and community."

The donation from the Gould family represents the fourth multimillion dollar gift in the past five years, according to the college's online publication, The Newsroom. The Gould family is the largest cumulative donor to the college.

"Seminole State was in our backyard, so we thought it was a great addition for the campus," Jean Gould told Bay News 9.

The gift is part of the Foundation's $12 million comprehensive campaign called "Changing Lives: The Campaign for Student Success," which launched as part of the college's 50th anniversary in 2015 and has raised more than $11 million to date.

"It means a lot to us that we're giving these people an opportunity to make the most of their life," Gould stated. "And, of course, they're in turn going to benefit our community."