“The gift recognizes the critical shortage of health-care workers throughout Fairfield County,” said the statement released Monday. “(Mandel) has remained active with the NCC Foundation for decades. Her children matched her gift in recognition of her many years of support, leadership and service to Norwalk Community College Foundation.”

The donation will be used to support scholarships for health-care programs at Norwalk Community College, which offers programs in nursing, medical assistant, certified nurse aide and respiratory therapy, among others, according to the statement. 

“This gift will strengthen the foundation’s ability to support vulnerable populations and ensure that NCC’s health-care programs are accessible and affordable to historically under-resourced populations like student parents, women and students of color,” the statement said. 

Over the past 11 years, more than 4,000 graduates from the school’s Center for Science, Health and Wellness program entered the workforce in the health-care field, according to the statement. 

Students graduating with associate degrees in nursing and allied health fields are valued in the job market, with an average employment rate of 80 percent, according to the school. About 59 percent of students in these programs are first-generation college students looking for a career with financial stability.

“We hope this gift will lead to more leadership gifts, and that it will allow a greater number of students to pursue a career in health care. We are pleased that this gift helps to ensure that NCC can continue to provide a top-rated education at an affordable cost,” said Mandel, a Darien resident and former first selectwoman in town.

“Our entire community benefits when our health-care workforce is well-educated and highly skilled,” she said. 

Mandel was also instrumental in raising $20 million to build the Center for Science, Health and Wellness at NCC. 

The center, on which construction began in 2010, celebrated its 10-year anniversary last September with a joint scholarship program with Norwalk Hospital and Stamford Hospital, according to a Norwalk Chamber of Commerce statement. When constructed, the center cost $38.3 million. 

Last year, the Norwalk Community College Foundation partnered with the Norwalk Hospital Foundation and Stamford Hospital Foundation to provide matching scholarship funds for nurses employed at the hospitals who are seeking to earn their bachelor’s degrees, according to the statement.

“More than a decade after they provided leadership support for the CSHW at NCC, the Mandel Family continues to inspire us with their generosity, philanthropic leadership, and unwavering belief in the power of a Norwalk Community College education,” said Carrie Bernier, NCC Foundation’s president and CFO.

Mandel has previously made large charitable contributions, including donating 2.7 acres of land on Hollow Tree Ridge Road to the Darien Land Trust in 2019 in honor of her late husband, Steve Mandel. 

In January 2022, NCC also received a $1 million donation, from an undisclosed donor, ultimately used to strengthen and expand programs that support student-parents, women, and students of color. 

Abigail Brone can be reached at abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com.