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Aquinas Fund: A Worthwhile Investment |
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| A Message from the Aquinas Fund: |
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| Kate Davis |
Bridget Harrigan |
Jannine
(McCarthy '08) Guyeskey |
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We made it! And that sentence has a two-fold meaning: We made it through our first year as the Aquinas Fund and we made our goal for the 2010-2011 fiscal year!
July 1, 2011 marked our first anniversary as co-directors of the Aquinas Fund, and November 1st, Jannine joined us as the Coordinator for the Aquinas Fund. It was an adventurous ride, having the ups and downs that any new journey would have. Along the way, we have gotten to know many of our alumni and donors through phone calls, emails and events. It has been a truly delightful experience, and we thank you for helping us along the way. Thanks to you, the Aquinas community, we exceeded our $1.3 million dollar goal by reaching nearly $1.46 million. |
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But it isn’t over yet. We’re getting back on that ride for 2011-2012, hoping to implement new ideas and disseminate more information to all of you in regard to the Aquinas Fund. Bottom line, all gifts to this fund help to offset the cost of tuition for well-deserving students. It’s only a fraction of the cost, but every dollar helps. Please visit the Aquinas Fund website or social media sites to see some specific faces of students that benefit from the generosity of others. |
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| Here’s to a successful 2011-2012! |
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| Aquinas Fund Co-Chairs: |
The Co-Chairs of the Aquinas Fund are alumni who have generously volunteered to assist in our efforts for a three year term. Collaborating efforts with them have helped in gaining new insight, ideas, and ultimately the most important thing, donors. Co-Chairs have displayed a devoted and ambitious interest in the improvement of the overall functioning and results of the Aquinas Fund, and do things such as build relationships with alumni, encourage involvement, and inspire others to make a gift. they also help by giving input on the past, present, and future ideas and events, and represent Aquinas in a variety of other areas. |
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Angela Korte, '96 |
Angela Korte, '96 Bachelor of Science in Accounting/Business Administration
Currently at Conductive Learning Center as Development Assistant
"The availability of Aquinas scholarships made my dream of attending Aquinas College become a reality. I am truly blessed to have been a recipient of scholarship funds made available by the many, very generous, donors to the college. Without them, I know that I would not be able to call myself an Aquinas Alumni – something I am extremely proud of and very honored to be.I enjoy being a part of the Aquinas Fund team becauseI hope to motivate other alumni and even current students to see that any gift they give to the Aquinas Fund does make a difference in the lives of students, and I think they will find that it makes a difference in their own life too." |
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 John Hopps II, '09 |
John Hopps II, ’09 Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
"I am originally from Traverse City, MI and decided to pursue my degree at Aquinas College and follow in my godfather's footsteps. I graduated from Aquinas College in the spring of 2009 with a Bachelorof Science in Business Administration and minor in Accounting. In July, a few months after graduation, I married my high school sweetheart, Christina Hopps (also an Aquinas Alum), who is currently studying at the University of Detroit Mercy to become a physician's assistant. I began my career after college as a financialadvisor and after a year decided that the banking world was a better fit and became a commercial credit analyst with a local bank here in Grand Rapids. |
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I continued to be involved with the Aquinas community upon graduation and decided in early 2010 to sponsor the inaugural Students for Students fundraising drive, which was very successful as we were able to provide two well deserved scholarships to two current students. After the fundraising event, I was asked to become a co-chair of the Aquinas Fund and quickly accepted the invitation as I wanted to continue to help students obtain the same education that I was able to receive thanks to the scholarships that were available."
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| Help us welcome our new Co-Chair, Mary Hamel, class of '97! |
 Mary Hamel, '97 |
The Aquinas Fund has added a new Co-Chair, Mary Hamel, to the team! Please help us welcome her!
"I finished as a Continuing Education (CE) student while working full time at Aquinas. My four children are also AQ Alumni and I graduated with my oldest son, which was a very proud day for me.
My introduction to AQ happened when I was a child and my aunt, Sr. Virgil Ghering, was Chemistry Chair. I remember picnics by Wege Pond and using colored chalk to draw on Sr. Virgil’s classroom boards. The commitment I have to Aquinas has developed over the years because of the true gift of education that my children and I received from Aquinas. Equally significant is the family connection through Sr. Virgil and the scholarship that was established in her name for Chemistry students. I am honored to represent my family for this scholarship, which has assisted Aquinas students in pursuit of their educational goals." |
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| The Aquinas Fund is a critical vehicle in sustaining the scholarships that assist students and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in this effort." |
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| Aquinas Fund Goals 2011-2012 |
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The Aquinas Fund is striving to reach a goal of $1.3 million dollars, and we are almost halfway there at just over $515,000! Without the help of alumni, parents, friends, foundations, employees, corporations, and parents, we will not be able to reach this goal!
In addition, the Aquinas Fund strives to increse our alumni participation rates from our current 14%. Absolutely any gift, large or small, makes a tremendous impact on this percentage! For more information about alumni giving rates, please click here!
We thank you in advance for your generosity! |
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Your gift makes all the difference in the world. Invest in the Aquinas Fund today! |
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| About the Aquinas Fund |
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- Over a quarter of Aquinas’ scholarship recipients are the first in their families to pursue a higher education.
- Nearly 90% of Aquinas undergraduates receive scholarship assistance, enabling them to attend.
- Approximately $16 million in scholarships are awarded on a yearly basis to deserving students.
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| Tuition and Fees June 30, 2011 |
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- Whether in business, education, medicine or other areas, nearly 8,000 Aquinas alumni have remained in West Michigan to pursue their careers. Your investment today in the Aquinas Fund will help create the educated leaders of tomorrow.
- Aquinas continues to provide students with financial aide through funded (blue area) and unfunded (red area) sources of revenue. In fact, student tuition (green area) only funds 52% of what it costs to educate them. >Take a closer look at this chart (pdf)
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The Aquinas Fund Committee, together with AQ alumni, have put together a slide show that encompasses the mission of the Aquinas Fund.
We hope our enthusiasm about Aquinas College will inspire you to give to the Aquinas Fund and help support AQ student scholarships!
>>View the slide show
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| NOTE: Adobe Flash player is required to view the slide show. |
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Your gift makes all the difference in the world. Invest in the Aquinas Fund today! |
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| To learn more, contact one of the Co-Directors of the Aquinas Fund: Kate Davis at (616) 632-2817 or daviskat@aquinas.edu or Bridget Harrigan at (616) 632-2806 or harribri@aquinas.edu. To make a gift to the Aquinas Fund online, click here. |
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