| Support
grows for single-parent scholarships
 Giving
to the UW-Eau Claire Foundation for single-parent scholarships increased steadily during the first half of Fulfilling the Promise
of Excellence. From a total of $19,700 in support for single-parent
scholarships in 2000-01, the amount of support has grown each year
to $25,000 in 2001-02 and $28,000 in 2002-03. For the 2002-03 academic
year, 21 single-parent students received scholarships through the
Foundation. (Read about one single-parent
student who has benefited from the generosity of donors to these
scholarships.)
Much of the credit for increased awareness about the need for aid
to single-parent students goes to a group called Women For Philanthropy.
Members of the group’s steering committee collectively support
several scholarships for full- and part-time single-parent students.
The group also helps to secure private individual and corporate
donations to support additional single-parent scholarships.
The mission of Women For Philanthropy is “giving opportunities
to single parents who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity
to earn a degree and to better provide for their families,”
said Cathy Sultan, chair of the group’s steering committee.
Scholarships for single parents have important benefits for their
children, noted Vicky Petermann, UW-Eau Claire Foundation director
of development research and donor relations.
“The critical element in all of this is the children,”
she said. “They are also making sacrifices of time and economic
status while Mom or Dad is in school. We know that the children
benefit from improved opportunities a degree will offer the parent,
but the children also see their parent as a role model pursuing
an education, which yields a more secure living environment. It’s
a win-win as we help our community one student at a time.”
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