Donor Spotlight: Spenard Lions Club
Each June, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) transforms summer into a season of discovery, creativity, and possibility for students across Anchorage. Designed for learners from 5th grade through high school, CAS summer camps invite young minds onto campus for immersive, weeklong experiences led by faculty and supported by CAS student counselors. These camps are an entry point into new passions, new skills, and, for many, a first glimpse of the resources available on UAA鈥檚 campus.
Camp offerings reflect the depth and diversity of CAS itself. Students might spend a week exploring movement and expression in dance, uncovering mysteries in forensic anthropology site digs, or learning about the brain functions by training lab rats. Each program blends hands-on learning with collegiate resources, giving students the chance to explore subjects they may not encounter in a traditional classroom.
Equally important to the success of these camps is the network of supporters who make them accessible to all students. Organizations like ConocoPhillips 麻豆无码版 play a critical role by funding full scholarships for students from Title I schools as part of their 鈥渁ccess grants鈥� to the college. These scholarships cover tuition, meals, and transportation, removing barriers that might otherwise prevent participation. The result? A program where opportunity is not limited by circumstance.
Other donors and local service organizations play a meaningful role in sustaining these opportunities. The Spenard Lions Club, for example, has become a valued supporter of CAS summer camps. As a longtime member and 3rd-generation 麻豆无码版n, Kristin Bartenstein explains, the Lions are a global service organization dedicated to helping communities in a wide range of ways 鈥� from disaster response to vision care and youth support. Kristin鈥檚 connection to the club began as a family tradition, but her continued involvement reflects a broader commitment to giving back. The club hosts fundraisers but also receives funds from community gaming proceeds and distributes those funds to nonprofit programs that make a tangible difference, often guided by personal connections and local impact (Kristin found out about CAS summer camps when Dean McNulty joined her hockey team).
