September 27, 2006 – Avondale Connections

Some years ago, I asked an Avondale College student leader which of the gifts from The Avondale Foundation the students most appreciated. His answer surprised me. He didn’t put at the top of his list the $1 million the foundation gave for building the college church or the $1 million for building the new library wing. He assured me the buses and the field kitchen rated as the best gifts the foundation had given.

Actually, the foundation has supplied the college with at least a dozen buses (worth $320,000 – the resale value goes to the college). Perhaps the $750,000 the foundation gave for the renovation of the auditorium might have received a mention, but my enquiry pre-dated that gift.

Well, the field kitchen cost the foundation $7,000, so clearly it’s not the monetary amount that impresses students. It’s the meeting of their needs.

In its effort to meet student needs, The Avondale Foundation now offers Academic Excellence Scholarships valued at up to $27,500 over a four-year course. Fifteen students began their study at Avondale this year with the assistance of these scholarships. In 2007, the foundation anticipates helping another 15 students. By 2009, at least 60 students at college should be receiving Academic Excellence Scholarships from the foundation.

But what about students in general, what does The Avondale Foundation do for them? Let’s talk about that in another issue of Connections.

Dr Norm Young (President, The Avondale Foundation)