Courtesy of SAU Communications
At a time when many small non-public faculties and traditionally black faculties/universities (HBCU) are combating for survival, one church’s act of kindness shines for example of justice, hope, and the enduring significance of considered one of North Carolina’s HBCUs. Saint Augustine’s College (SAU) is thrilled to announce a beneficiant reward of $132,469 from Alfred Road Baptist Church of Alexandria, Virginia, to get rid of the excellent cumulative four-year pupil debt of 11 of 25 graduating seniors within the Class of 2025.
The donation – over $130,000 – will likely be obtained by SAU earlier than this yr’s graduation on Might third, guaranteeing these seniors can graduate debt-free. In a stirring present of neighborhood partnership, representatives from the historic church will attend the HBCU graduation ceremony to have a good time with the scholars and personally congratulate the brand new graduates whose burdens they helped raise.
“This act of grace by Alfred Road Baptist Church is nothing wanting transformative for our college students and our establishment,” stated SAU Interim President Dr. Marcus H. Burgess. “We’re immensely grateful for this demonstration of religion and partnership. It not solely lifts an amazing burden off our deserving college students but in addition evokes our complete SAU neighborhood. This donation is a shining instance of how religion and collaboration can empower our college students to step confidently into their futures. It renews our hope and underscores the intense future for SAU.”
Scholar debt has grow to be a looming barrier to varsity completion throughout the nation. HBCUs – which have traditionally created pathways for underrepresented college students – usually function with restricted sources. The partnership between Alfred Road Baptist Church and SAU demonstrates a artistic, community-driven resolution to those challenges that resonates far past one campus, providing a blueprint of hope for others to comply with.
The HBCU initially knowledgeable your entire graduating class that college students with unpaid tuition balances couldn’t take part within the graduation ceremony. Whereas greater than half of SAU’s graduating class might settle their balances independently with assist from a few of SAU’s alumni chapters, 11 others nonetheless wanted further help. Refusing to lose hope, these college students penned heartfelt letters detailing their monetary struggles and expressing gratitude for help. These letters of want and thanks will likely be shared throughout the Might graduation, symbolizing religion in motion and the profound influence of compassion. Moved by the scholars’ tales – and alerted by SAU alumni and church members within the Washington, D.C. space – Alfred Road Baptist Church answered the decision. The 222-year-old congregation, recognized for its dedication to training and social justice, supplied to cowl the excellent balances for the remaining 11 seniors, permitting them to obtain their diplomas with out monetary obstacles.
“That is what ministry seems to be like,” stated Rev. Dr. Howard-John Wesley, Senior Pastor of Alfred Road Baptist Church. “We consider in investing in college students, in HBCUs, and in a future the place monetary hardship ought to by no means be a barrier to commencement.”
This extraordinary collaboration highlights a legacy of faith-based assist and alumni engagement that has lengthy been a part of SAU’s story. Alfred Road Baptist Church, based in 1803, is among the nation’s oldest and largest predominantly African American congregations. Church officers estimate that about 60% of Alfred Road’s roughly 13,000 members are HBCU graduates. The church is famend for its neighborhood outreach and philanthropy, together with an annual HBCU Faculty Competition that pulls hundreds of scholars, and has a powerful monitor file supporting HBCUs. In 2019, Alfred Road made nationwide headlines by elevating $150,000 in a single weekend and paying off the account balances of 34 graduating seniors at Howard College whereas contributing $50,000 to help Bennett Faculty. That very same spirit of “irrational generosity” and dedication to instructional justice now blesses SAU’s college students.
Within the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) space, SAU’s alumni, Gilbert, ’76, and Carolyn Knowles, ’77, nurtured the bond between SAU and Alfred Road. Generations of Saint Augustine’s College alumni within the DMV – together with Alfred Road Baptist Church members collaborating in SAU’s WDC Metro Alumni Chapter – have traditionally been steadfast college supporters. The advocacy of the Knowles’ for over a yr helped carry this chance to fruition. Alfred Road’s mission-driven outreach exemplifies the ability of neighborhood partnership throughout geography and generations. It’s a testomony to the concept SAU’s legacy extends far past its Raleigh campus, uniting religion and fellowship in service of the following era.
“There’s an African proverb that claims, ‘When elephants battle, it’s the grass that suffers,’” stated Gilbert Knowles. “For us, it’s at all times been concerning the college students. When my spouse and I found that our church, Alfred Road, authorized the donation and the quantity they’d give to SAU, we cried tears of pleasure out of affection for our church and our alma mater. Regardless of the college’s challenges, these college students selected to stay with SAU, remained steadfast, and are about to graduate, including to the various causes SAU is called the ‘Miracle on Oakwood.’ We’ll attend commencement, and I do know it is going to be an emotional ceremony.”
The timing of this reward comes as Saint Augustine’s College is amid a resurgence. Lately, the HBCU has confronted well-publicized challenges which have examined the college’s resolve. But, via these trials, SAU’s management, college students, and alumni have labored tirelessly to revive confidence and chart a course ahead. This donation arrives at a pivotal second in that journey, serving as a hopeful counter-narrative to the headlines of the previous. It underscores SAU’s resilience and the religion the broader neighborhood has in its future. For the broader public, this story sends a robust message: even within the face of adversity, collective acts of generosity and religion can spark change, assist establishments that matter, and uplift younger individuals poised to grow to be future leaders.
“After I discovered that Alfred Road Baptist Church’s beneficiant donation had cleared my stability, I used to be overwhelmed with gratitude and deeply moved by their dedication to supporting college students like me,” stated Saint Augustine’s College SGA President Tillia Leary, a graduating senior majoring in accounting from The Bahamas. “This unbelievable act of kindness lifted a significant burden and affirmed my perception within the energy of neighborhood and religion. I’ll attend Ball State College to finish my grasp’s diploma in accounting and have additionally been honored to obtain quite a few scholarships to assist my graduate research.”
SAU is looking on others moved by this inspirational occasion to assist assist the remaining college students who nonetheless carry pupil debt. Whereas this reward clears balances for 11 seniors, many different SAU college students face monetary hurdles on their path to commencement, totaling roughly $230,000. Anybody fascinated with serving to empower further SAU college students can contribute to the college’s pupil reduction funds or scholarship packages.
Click on right here to donate or study how one can immediately influence college students’ lives and contribute to SAU’s continued story of resilience and achievement.