Hester Parks (95C) has a lot of experience finding solutions for tough challenges, so when she learned hardworking Berry students might have to give up their college dreams, she knew she had to help.
The founder of Atlanta’s award-winning Park Avenue Events and recipient of the Berry Alumni Council’s 2021 Entrepreneurial Spirit Award recently stepped forward with a $5,000 leadership gift, payable over five years, to help establish the Berry African American Alumni Chapter Save a Student Scholarship.
She and other chapter members hope to raise a minimum of $50,000, thus creating a permanent endowment. This would ensure funds from their scholarship are available each year to offer a lifeline to students facing sudden financial distress due to unforeseen circumstances like the illness of a parent or the loss of family income.
Parks’ annual gift of $1,000 for the next five years qualifies her for the Martha Berry Society in each of those years. She joins hundreds of other alumni and friends who prioritize annual giving to Berry at a leadership level.
“It’s about giving back and making a difference in students’ lives,” Parks said. “Berry is still dear to my heart. It makes me excited and happy to be able to help students who look like me stay at Berry. Besides, I know that recipients of this scholarship will change their families and impact the overall community by earning their Berry degrees.”
Parks appreciates the opportunity to break her total commitment into smaller recurring gifts paid over multiple years because it enables her to do more than otherwise would be possible. She also plans to give over and above her current commitment, as she is able.
“We’re supposed to give back,” Parks said. “We’re God’s hands and feet here on earth. As Christians, we’re supposed to love our brothers as ourselves. I believe wholeheartedly in that. Giving back to Berry is one way I fulfill God’s call on my life.”
If you’re interested in supporting the Berry African American Alumni Chapter Save a Student Scholarship or have questions about other giving opportunities within the Save a Student family of scholarships, please contact Jean Druckenmiller at jdruckenmiller@berry.edu or 706-238-7938.
CONTINUING THE WORK
The Martha Berry Society is a special group of alumni and friends whose collective generosity turns obstacles into opportunity for Berry students. This designation honors those who make annual cash contributions or pledge payments of at least $1,000 (or equivalent for members of the Young Alumni Leadership Giving Circle).
Gifts made between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024, count toward MBS membership in 2023-24. Learn more by visiting alwaysberry.com/MBS.
