Endowment To Support Conservative Students Attending Arizona State University
In 2016, Palo Verde Republican Women in Scottsdale, Arizona set out to accomplish what many thought a Herculean task: to raise $50,000 within five years for an Arizona State University (ASU) endowment scholarship fund to support conservative students attending what was at the time called ASU’s Political Thought & Leadership program (recently renamed the Program in Political History and Leadership, housed in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies).
And because of an incredibly generous group of Palo Verde Republican Women, the club not only met their goal, but they exceeded it. Within only three years, the club’s endowment totals $64,500 and continues to grow. This is currently enough to provide two sizeable scholarships per semester—in perpetuity!
Several entertaining and creative fundraising events helped support the club’s lofty endowment goal. A Pie Baking and Western Night, held at McDonald’s Ranch in North Scottsdale, enabled the club to raise $5,000. A lunch time Conservatives Cook auction brought in $7,000. A raffled shopping spree helped to bring in another $8,000. The club’s premiere Right & Bright gala—an evening with Mary Kissel, a journalist, senior adviser to the State Department and one-time member of the Wall Street Journal, raised close to $18,000. After that, donations continue to roll in.
On February 20, 2019, at the club’s regularly scheduled monthly luncheon, club members and associates celebrated their success. Special thanks to club members past president Joan Lang and immediate past president Jan Stephenson for their exemplary leadership as well as over-the-top perseverance and commitment to success that enabled the club to exceed expectations and fund the endowment scholarship.
Others instrumental in the club’s scholarship endowment endeavors include Colleen Goodrich, Kelly Sallaway, Sherry Gray, Tracey Gray, Nancy Pryor, Anita Rodriguez, Jeanne Johnson, Susan Kay Schultz, Yvonne Cahill, Cheryl Pelletier, Marjorie Collins and Michael Aurbach.
About the Palo Verde Republican Women Endowment Scholarship: The club’s first two scholarship recipients are to be announced in the spring of 2019. These students must meet certain criteria: served in a high school or college conservative or Republican club, maintained a B+ average, and be a citizen of the United States. Additionally, each student is expected to attend a Palo Verde Republican luncheon to fill the club in on their college experiences.