ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — As the Class of 2027 settled into college life, the newest generation of the Bona Family joined together to fund scholarships for their peers in a unique way.
All incoming freshmen were urged to donate a dollar or more through Venmo during Welcome Days as a donation to start off their philanthropic relationship with the university.
Although on its own a dollar is not much, the collective strength of the students was exemplified when it was announced they had gathered $700 overall. These funds contributed to two scholarships that amounted to $350 each and were awarded to their peers through a random drawing of students who donated.
“This is a way to engage freshman students from the moment they arrive at St. Bonaventure and educate them about the impact of gifts across campus. It is an excellent way to introduce them to the culture of giving and foster a sense of the Bona community,” said Angela Erway, director of Annual Giving at St. Bonaventure. “We want to empower students by showing that they can make a difference through a gift of any size.”
This year’s scholarship recipients are Kyrin LaBella and David G. Roberts.
“Being a recipient of a scholarship created by my classmates is so inspiring,” LaBella said. “It proves the presence of a true Bona Family, plus it shows that when we all give a little, we can create a lot of good.”
The Bonaventure Fund is the primary vehicle used by St. Bonaventure alumni to support the university. It provides aid to students, development opportunities for faculty, and supports many other critical aspects of annual university operations.
It is also one of the reasons the average financial aid and scholarship package for an incoming St. Bonaventure freshman is more than $30,000, and that the university consistently achieves a high ranking as a “best value” school. St. Bonaventure earned the No. 6 ranking on U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 list of best college values in the North.
“It feels good to receive the scholarship knowing that the money was raised from the people in the freshman class,” Roberts said. “I’m not surprised by the philanthropy of the rest of my class. We have a good group of people that wants to help one another, and it’s shown with the scholarship.”
