FUNDRAISING NEWS AND PLANSASSIST Annual Fund:
Another Record-Setting Year! With the campaign now completed, we are pleased to announce that gifts to the 2006/07 ASSIST Annual Fund totaled $103,445, setting a new record in unrestricted giving.
The Annual Fund has now more than doubled since 2000, and the 2006/07 campaign exceeded both last year's Fund ($88,085) and our budgeted goal ($95,000). A key priority of the organization is slowing the growth of program fees, so that every talented and deserving student can aspire to become an ASSIST scholar. Through your support, we can fund our operating expenses while making the exchange experience affordable.
Sponsoring Students from Eastern and Central Europe:
Funding Complete for 2007/08! For the 2007/08 academic year, ASSIST will welcome 32 students from eastern and central Europe. For the first time since the conclusion of our partnership with the Soros Foundation, sponsorship funding is in place to support every student. This is a significant moment in ASSIST history, as generous donors have enabled us to support these deserving students and to bring a level of excellence to our fundraising that has been a hallmark of the other segments of our program.
The receiving American schools continue to offer full scholarships to these students, but we must still raise an additional US $7,000 for each student to fund international and domestic airfare, a spending stipend, health insurance, orientation, our operating expenses in each country, and ongoing support throughout the ASSIST year.
For a sponsorship of $7,000, donors are enabling students to undertake a life-changing experience by accepting a scholarship valued up to $40,800 (in 2007/08). Please contact ASSIST President Bob Stanley if you - or an organization you represent - have an interest in this wonderful initiative. We are now seeking funding for the 2008/09 academic year and beyond.
The ASSIST Förderverein Supports German Students Our colleagues of the ASSIST Förderverein have once again stepped forward in generosity and will support 6 talented and deserving German students, awarding grants totaling $26,000.
The members of the Förderverein have raised funds over the course of time so that students from families with limited economic means can accept their ASSIST scholarships. Focused primarily on students receiving partial scholarships, this generous support enables ASSIST to extend scholarship offers to the most talented students, focusing on their promise rather than on their family's income.
The ASSIST Förderverein was founded in 1982 and began to grant scholarships in 1986 under the leadership of its Chairman, Dr. Rohwedder. Over the succeeding twenty years, the Förderverein has supported 262 German scholars with grants totaling $806,452. Included in this history is an increasing level of support over the past five years, when 57 students received grants totaling $257,500.
