A human chain of an expected 1million helping hands will wend from the Sierra foothills to San Diego on Sunday to support California community college students.

At 2 p.m. across the San Fernando Valley, the so-called Hands Across California will link students to celebrities from Pierce College to Los Angeles Valley College and beyond.

"College is the American dream," said Gabe Ayon, 35, of North Hollywood, a first-generation Valley College student who has recruited an anticipated 2,000 students, faculty, celebrities and more to join hands along Oxnard Street. "Not all of us are middle class.

"All these scholarships will help people get into college."

The 1,000-mile event aims to raise a $100 million endowment for scholarships available to the state's 3 million community college students.

The call for support comes as the state grapples with a $26 billion budget crisis, with community colleges facing $800 million or more of spending cuts, with enrollment denied to as many as 400,000 students.

Hosted by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, donors can target dollars toward