MIAMI -- Miami Dade College Foundation has been awarded $2.25 million in gifts since the receipt of Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón's Presidential Medal of Freedom from U.S. President Barack Obama. The gifts were presented to Dr. Padrón at a private breakfast earlier this week for past inductees of the MDC Alumni Hall of Fame at Greenberg Traurig, P. A. in downtown Miami.

A $1 million gift from The Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Foundation will establish the Eduardo J. Padrón Innovation Fund honoring Dr. Padrón's decades of work in ensuring educational opportunity for all. The gift will support MDC faculty in the delivery of interactive and innovative education programs that prepare the next generation of changemakers who, like Dr. Padrón, will address societal challenges and make a difference through their leadership, scholarship, and civic engagement.

Dr. Padrón was surprised by two more gifts to MDC: a $250,000 gift from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for the Innovation Fund, and another $1 million gift from Badia Spices Inc. to establish the Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón Presidential Medal of Freedom Scholarship for students with financial need.

"President Padrón has made enormous contributions to Miami Dade College and to South Florida over the years, making MDC a national model for access and inclusion in education," said Louis Wolfson, III, trustee of The Mitchell Wolfson Sr. Foundation. "The College continues to innovate, and we're delighted to establish a fund in his honor to enhance our education programs and create more changemakers for our community."

To support the Eduardo J. Padrón Innovation Fund, visit www.mdcfoundation.com