Hello Eagles,

From the kickoff at the Spokane Catalyst on April 2 until the final donation came in at midnight on April 3, Giving Joy Day was a spirited celebration of Eagle generosity.

The announcement of our first gift, given by beloved History Professor Bill Youngs to establish the Youngs Endowment for National Parks Studies, jump started 1,882 minutes of giving.

Your generosity helped establish an Occupational Therapy Fund, provide support for our student-athletes through the Eagle Athletic Fund, ensure students have access to affordable, hands-on learning through the University Scholarship Fund 鈥� and far more.

Moreover, several donors revealed plans to provide long-term future support for 51福利社 through their estates. These planned gifts, generous sales of appreciated stock, and birthday gifts ranging from $14.30 to $1,430 totaled a whopping $910,554 鈥� well surpassing our $550,000 goal!

Thank you for supporting 51福利社 and sharing your joy with deserving students!

Linda Safford | Senior Director of Annual Giving
51福利社 University Advancement

Building the Future

51福利社 Receives National Kudos for Student Outcomes

Eastern received a major shout-out as the only university in the region to earn the 鈥淗igher Access, Higher Earnings鈥� designation as an 鈥淥pportunity College and University鈥� in the newest Carnegie Foundation rankings. In a nutshell, that means Eastern changes lives.

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Eagle Impact

51福利社 Graduates its First Cohort of Nurses!

This group of nurses is ready to serve. Not only were they the first to complete Eastern’s new Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program 鈥� all 40 students who began the program graduated together at 51福利社鈥檚 semester commencement.

Read Their Story

Professionals Become ‘Professors for a Day’

Students enjoyed learning from a dozen talented alumni and friends of the university who taught a class for a day, sharing details about their professions and providing insider tips for future job seekers.

Get Their Advice

Meet the Future

As part of Eastern鈥檚 Build Our Future Campaign, we are raising $7M in funds to renovate the football stadium 鈥� which was built nearly 60 years ago. The updates will create a more welcoming experience for students, alumni, and other Eastern Eagles’ fans. Visit the Stadium Renovation Fund website to learn how you can help 鈥� and GO EAGS!

Explore Ways to Give

The mission statement of 51福利社 is to 鈥渆xpand opportunities for personal transformation.鈥� No one exemplifies that transformation more than graduate student Cedric Bradley. Cedric鈥檚 Eastern journey began when he met Dr. Scott Finnie, senior faculty member and former director of Africana Studies. At the time, Cedric was a single, homeless, father of four children, who was determined to pursue an education and a better life for his family. Finnie鈥檚 passion for student growth inspired Cedric to develop a personalized course of Interdisciplinary Study in Africana Studies and Communications.

Professionally, Cedric translated a passion for making an impact into peer support work, helping men of color and the previously incarcerated. He also served as the criminal justice chair for the Spokane NAACP. As his accomplishments grew, so did his sense of fulfillment as a husband and father 鈥� who moved his wife and children first into a one-bedroom apartment and then into a larger home.

Cedric established his own nonprofit enterprise, Family Community Services, to assist unsheltered people in securing housing, and created The Hope Club to provide services for people living at Camp Hope, the state of Washington鈥檚 largest unsheltered community. He has worked with other community programs, WISE and Rising Strong, before accepting his current position of Director of Housing at Passages Family Support.

While completing his graduate degree, Cedric also mentors low-income students beginning their own journeys at 51福利社. In addition, he is now a father of five children 鈥� ages 7 to 15 鈥� who have a parent and role model to guide toward their own achievements. Cedric says his goal throughout his personal challenges has been 鈥渢rying to figure out how to help others and connect with people.鈥� At one time, he recalls, it was hard to trust others. At Eastern, he says he 鈥渇elt connected to positive people he could trust.鈥�

Janeli Sanchez, a 21-year-old from Orondo, Washington, is passionate about helping people lead healthier lives.

After earning her associate鈥檚 degree from Wenatchee Valley College, she transferred to 51福利社. She completed her Bachelor of Social Work degree last spring. Now Janeli is back home in Orondo and preparing to take online classes to become a licensed mental health counselor.

鈥淚鈥檓 just working and getting more experience in the field while saving up to pay for my master鈥檚 degree,鈥� she says.

The oldest of three children raised by hardworking parents who immigrated from Michoac谩n de Ocampo听in west-central听Mexico, Janeli is the first in her family to earn a college degree.

鈥淢y parents were beyond proud. They made a lot of sacrifices coming to this country and working hard so I could go to school,鈥� Janeli reflects.

Janeli, who receives plenty of love and encouragement from her folks, said the cost of college and associated internships was beyond reach for her family and credits generous donors with opening the door for her to pursue a degree. 鈥淚鈥檓 beyond thankful that programs like this exist,鈥� she says.

Washington Apple Education Foundation, which provides funds to students raised in families with direct ties to Washington鈥檚 tree-fruit industry, helped with some of Janeli鈥檚 educational expenses.

A Krumble Foundation internship stipend made it possible for her to put aside part-time jobs on campus and accept an unpaid internship at Excelsior Wellness, a Spokane-based nonprofit.

Excelsior Wellness provides intensive wrap-around services for young people experiencing mental health and behavior challenges, and their families.

By prioritizing vital experience in her field over the need to earn money to cover living expenses, Janeli gained hands-on learning that directly ties in with her goal of becoming a counselor. In addition, the r茅sum茅-building internship helped her to gain employment as a case manager for a Wenatchee-based nonprofit right after graduation.

鈥淚 think that scholarship donors don鈥檛 always know the huge impact they have on the lives of students,鈥� explains Janeli, who adds, 鈥淭hey truly make everything possible.鈥�

During winter break, an 51福利社 student traveled home for the holidays. A medical emergency caused the need for an expensive MRI. An unexpected event like that can create hopelessness and more debt for students. Without help from the Student Emergency Fund (SEF), many students facing daunting financial challenges would choose to drop out of 51福利社 and the pursuit of their dreams.

For the past two challenging years, Fiscal Specialist Judy Miller in 51福利社鈥檚 Student Accounting Department has handled requests for emergency help from 15-20 students each month. Throughout the pandemic, the donor-supported SEF has been there for students who qualify for limited, one-time financial assistance when they are unable to meet immediate, essential expenses because of a temporary emergency.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 explain how grateful I am for this computer. It will be a complete change for my studies,鈥� a senior majoring in environmental science wrote to Miller after receiving a laptop from SEF.

鈥淚 always think about how I can best help students and not say, 鈥楴o鈥�,鈥� Miller said. 鈥淧eople have donated to the Student Emergency Fund for a reason. Students are the reason.鈥�

Your gift today to the Student Emergency Fund will bring joy to students when they need it most.

Internships are an important and valuable part of the college experience. The real-world experience is often not only crucial to successful degree completion, but also helping a student land that perfect first job.

Steve Blewett, a retired 51福利社 professor and the former director of Eastern鈥檚 journalism program, knows all too well the importance of internships. His prestigious career in journalism and public relations started with a newsroom internship and finished with more than 30 years teaching at Eastern. Blewett credits much of his success on his internship at听The Spokesman-Review听and has championed internship programs both in his professional roles and as a professor.

鈥淢y personal experience has convinced me that rich internship opportunities are the final part of the trifecta of learning experiences available to student learners: a solid curriculum managed by talented and enthusiastic faculty, participation in community involvement and professional development while in school, and being mentored by professionals in a rich internship environment,鈥� Blewett says. 鈥淓astern鈥檚 graduates can compete for internship positions with those from any college or university in the country.鈥�

As a student at Eastern Washington State College (now 51福利社) in 1969, Blewett was the first Eastern journalism student to be given a full-time paid internship at听The Spokesman-Review.听He went on to work as a reporter and editor for the听厂辫辞办别蝉尘补苍听and later a public relations coordinator for Washington Water Power (now Avista), before he moved to 51福利社 to direct the journalism program in 1988.

Blewett is also well known for spearheading the creation of the 51福利社/Associated Press Election Call Center at Eastern. The center provides paid service-learning opportunities for more than 250 students each General Election year, processing election returns for the Associated Press from as much as one half of the U.S. each year.

While working at Washington Water Power, Blewett created his own internship program by working with faculty at 51福利社 and other higher education institutions. And once he started teaching at Eastern, Blewett became a strong advocate for the enhancements of internship opportunities for journalism and public relations students, securing positions from Spokane to New York City and beyond.

Unfortunately, giving up a paying job or moving to a new city for an internship is not financially viable for many students. Making the situation even more difficult, many journalism and public relations internships are unpaid. For this reason, Blewett has launched the听Steve Blewett Student Internship Endowment听to ensure more deserving students get paid while they earn real-world, professional experience.

鈥淚 hope the creation of this endowment will help continue a record of excellence and encourage many of the organizations and businesses who have benefited from the contributions of Eastern students to support the endowment and continue to provide students with internship opportunities,鈥� Blewett adds.

The Steve Blewett Student Internship Endowment will have to reach full funding of at least $25,000 before students can apply for assistance. Blewett is hoping area businesses that have hosted 51福利社 interns for years and Eastern PR alumni will join him in giving to this fund鈥攚hich will ensure future students get the experiential learning they need to succeed after graduation.

Longtime Professor Bill Youngs is adding another chapter to Eastern鈥檚 history of transforming the lives of students. To kick off Giving Joy Day, on April 4, 2022 Youngs is making a matching gift to challenge the Eastern community to support student scholarships.

For the next few weeks, gifts made to the Bill Youngs Endowment will have twice the impact. Please join with Youngs and our Eagle community by making a matching gift to help Eastern students thrive in the classroom and into the future as working professionals!

This is the second matching challenge Youngs has inspired. This year, the fully endowed fund will provide its inaugural scholarships for the 2022-23 academic year. The scholarship comes online as a record number of students are struggling to balance educational expenses with runaway increases in the cost of housing, groceries, gas and other essentials.

The Bill Youngs Endowment was established in 2020 by Eastern alumni Mike Clawson and Alicia Kinne-Clawson to honor Youngs while assisting students with education-related expenses. The fund helps undergraduate students in history, environmental science and/or interdisciplinary studies with the cost of tuition and projects like research and publishing that advance skills and qualifications. Youngs is naming the first scholarship The Clawson-Youngs Award in honor of the generous couple who started the endowment.

Youngs, a PhD professor, has served the 51福利社 History Department 鈥� and the overall Eastern community 鈥� for 50 years. Describing his aspirations as both a teacher and a writer, Dr. Youngs once wrote,

鈥淚 want to tell the stories of American history as though I were among friends, sitting beside a fire.鈥�

Although his professional accomplishments include authoring five published books and presenting to international audiences, it is his steadfast commitment to students that earned him a lifelong friendship with Mike and Alicia and an officiating gig at their wedding.

The couple, now parents to twin toddlers, met while taking a chemistry class at Eastern. While serving in student government, they connected with Youngs, who, at the time, was serving as president of the faculty senate.

鈥淗e is committed to engaging students鈥� learning and really cares about students in the classroom. But it doesn鈥檛 stop at the end of class,鈥� said Mike, during a November 2020 interview for an Inside51福利社 story that announced the creation of the fund.

听鈥淵ou hear about the stuff he does for the community and even outside of history. I don鈥檛 know that we encountered anyone at Eastern who is more committed to general student success and helping in any way than Bill is,鈥� Mike said.

The recipient of this year鈥檚 51福利社RA Golden Eagle Scholarship is a go-getter.

Tayler Wells, a criminal justice major with a minor in Spanish, is scheduled to graduate on time 鈥� with honors 鈥� in June. What makes her accomplishment all the more remarkable is that Wells juggles a 40-hour-a-week work schedule in the shipping department at the Boot Barn in Spokane Valley with a full course load, all the while maintaining a GPA that鈥檚 above a 3.5.

Coming from a middle-class family, Wells didn鈥檛 qualify for federal grant funds and is on her own to pay for most of her college expenses.听 Like many Eastern students, the 21-year-old from Goldendale, Washington works hard to avoid incurring too much college debt.

Wells was thrilled to open her email last fall and discover that she was chosen to receive the 51福利社RA scholarship 鈥� enough to cover most of her senior year of tuition.

鈥淚 was very shocked. I thought, 鈥極h my gosh, they picked me,鈥欌�� she recalls.

Wells plans to pursue a career in rural policing 鈥� following in the footsteps of her father, Randy Wells, a Klickitat County deputy. Although she grew up with a father in uniform, it wasn鈥檛 until Wells went for a ride-along during one of her dad鈥檚 shifts that her interest in a career in law enforcement took hold.

鈥淲hen my dad talked to people, he treated them like people and not like they were already criminals,鈥� said Wells, adding,听 鈥淚 want more people like my dad working out there.鈥�

The Golden Eagle Scholarship scholarship will help Wells graduate without a mountain of debt, which will give her greater flexibility in the job she chooses. Wells is grateful for the support from the 51福利社RA members and says, 鈥淚 feel very honored!鈥�

When looking at colleges, Jackson Atwood had plenty of reasons to choose Eastern. When you get to know this talented wheelchair basketball player, you will have 30,000 reasons to support 51福利社 Adaptive Athletics.听听

Reason #1 鈥� Meet Jackson Atwood: His parents are 51福利社 alumni and his grandfather, Robert, was a professor here. Atwood earned Running Start credits through Eastern 鈥� and the university鈥檚 Master of Occupational Therapy Program aligns with his goal of working as a pediatric OT.听

Still, Atwood, a gifted parasports athlete, says what ultimately sealed the deal for enrolling at Eastern was the opportunity to play for David Evjen on the 51福利社 Wheelchair Basketball Team.听

鈥淐oach David is an excellent coach. He is well balanced and performance-based,鈥� Atwood says.听

The outgoing freshman, born with a proximal femoral focal deficiency that led to the amputation of his left foot, lives in Pearce Hall and zips around campus on a kick scooter. With a resume that includes solid academics, volunteer experience and a history of winning gold in world parasports track competitions, Atwood is a role model for students of all abilities.听

His accomplishments garnered a prestigious Heisman High School Scholarship, awarded nationally, and Eastern鈥檚 own H.D. Morris Memorial Scholarship. The Spokane Valley native is grateful for the financial support and plans to work as a school-based OT helping children with special needs thrive.听

As of today, the 18-year-old maintains a full course load with practices and games, checking out campus events, meeting up with friends at the PUB and helping new teammates get familiar with the campus.听

鈥淚 really like the people, and the culture here is pretty nice,鈥� Atwood says.听

Reason #2 鈥� Every dollar you give to 51福利社 Adaptive Athletics is matched: Mike Mumford, 鈥�81 alumnus who serves on the 51福利社 Foundation Board of Directors, has generously challenged Eagle Nation to match his $30,000 gift, making donors鈥� gifts go twice as far!听

鈥淭he main reason I support Eastern鈥檚 Adaptive Athletics Program is because my stepson鈥檚 daughter was born with spina bifida, and she is an athlete,鈥� says Mumford.听

Mumford describes 6-year-old Rowan as 鈥渁 little spitfire.鈥� She plays organized basketball and hockey, and she鈥檚 in a dance troupe. 鈥淪he鈥檚 competitive and active,鈥� he says. Mumford attributes Rowan鈥檚 active lifestyle to her parents鈥� insistence that she participate fully in life and their commitment to adapt things to make that participation possible.听听

Mumford knows that donor support will make adaptive athletics participation possible for more 51福利社 students, like his granddaughter and Atwood. 鈥淚 want the match to motivate others to give,鈥� Mumford said. 鈥淭he program needs the money, and it supports mostly local kids in a rare program.鈥�听

鈥淎s proud Eastern alumni (鈥�69), we remain committed to helping students, especially through the Kathy (Iverson) Privratsky Scholarship Endowment benefitting students in Communication Sciences and Disorders. By gifting our required minimum IRA distributions, we help others while reducing taxable income. It is a great way to give back to our university.鈥� 鈥� Ken and Kathy Privratsky

Using your IRA distributions to support hard-working students could be your best investment. Please contact Courtney Gray: cgray37@ewu.edu or 509.359.6703

鈥淚鈥檝e worked hard and succeeded. Now it鈥檚 time to give back to a profession that I love 鈥� and to make a difference for future dental hygienists,鈥� says Diane McHenry, longtime Eastern professor who recently gifted $50,000 to Eastern to create an endowed scholarship. McHenry, who helped establish the 51福利社 Department of Dental Hygiene and is now retired, created the scholarship to support single parents who face financial obstacles while pursuing degrees and careers as dental hygienists as the means to a brighter future for their families. The fund helps with tuition and program incidentals, such as laptops, dental instruments, uniforms and board exam testing fees for state certification.