Help Students Overcome Obstacles

College students often encounter many obstacles in their efforts to earn a degree. While paying for college is often the biggest hurdle, many times non-academic issues crop up and cause students to stumble. The Student Emergency Fund was established to help students overcome just those issues. The following two stories are of students we have been able to help through the fund:
students outside ireland hall

 

Tim’s Story

One of our long-time faculty members called the Foundation office asking what we could do to help a student with an abscessed tooth. We asked her to bring “Tim” over to see what we could line up.  When he walked through the door we saw his jaw was swollen to the size of a grapefruit. He had been dealing with the issue for over a week, had been missing several classes, and did not have insurance. We connected him with a local dentist who was able to provide the medical treatment he needed for just a little over $100. This was money well spent to help a student return to class and continue what he set out to do from the beginning – earn a degree.

Anna’s Story

“Anna” was a student who had been living at the Lodge (one of our dormitories). Since it is an off-site dorm, we do not require the students living there to purchase a meal plan. Unknown to the college, Anna had chosen to live in this dorm because she could not afford a meal plan. Halfway through the semester a concerned instructor let the Foundation staff know Anna’s fellow dorm students had been sneaking food out of the cafeteria so she could eat each day. Through the Student Emergency Fund, the Foundation was able to provide her with a meal card for the rest of the semester. Ultimately, one of our donors paid for her housing and meals for the rest of the year. No longer did she have to worry where she would find her next meal. She could now focus on earning her degree.

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If you have a passion to help students who are dealing with non-academic issues and would like to support the Student Emergency Fund, give us a call at 620-441-5245.

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