A little more than a month from now, Riverland Community College will celebrate the capstone event of its 75th anniversary.

Scheduled for 7 p.m. to midnight Sept. 26 at Northbridge Mall, the Riverland gala will be a chance for people to dress up and enjoy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, music and dancing. There will also be a silent auction, and Bob and the Beachcombers and the Austin Big Band will perform. In the past, at least 500 people have attended.

Even more important is the opportunity that the community has at the gala to lay a foundation for the rising generation of students. Money raised at the event will go toward scholarships for students.

In June, when school officials and local leaders announced the gala would return this year, Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Randy Kehr said the community depends on Riverland to create the workforce here.

We agree.

We applaud the college for starting new programs to address gaps in skills for today’s workforce and for reaching out to the local business community to help fill their needs.

We need to give our young people as many opportunities to succeed as possible, and we need to assure future students that it is respectable to attend both four-year and two-year colleges, such as Riverland.

Now is the opportunity to get involved and make a difference. Support the gala.

Tickets are $75 and are available online at Riverland’s website, riverland.edu/tickets, or at Hy-Vee, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce, the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau and Market Place Foods.