ALWAYS BERRY (HOME) >> DONOR RECOGNITION >> LIFEREADY CAMPAIGN CLOSING

On behalf of my friend and co-chair, the late Barry Griswell, and myself, I send warm and sincere thanks to Berry College donors at every level for your support of the LifeReady Campaign. Because of you, we funded each of our major efforts "and then some," as Barry always liked to say, raising more than $135 million in our $100 million campaign.

To name just a few accomplishments:

• Gate of Opportunity Scholarships now offer potential for significant numbers of hardworking students to graduate debt-free.
• Berry arts students now learn and perform in a modern new theatre and an acoustically and visually beautiful newly renovated recital hall.
• Valhalla has exceeded every expectation in terms of campus pride and camaraderie - to say nothing about the wonderful students it has attracted (and a great football team, too!).
• Our most popular - and some would say most unique - major, animal science, soon will have a new classroom/research building and already has a hands-on, large-animal learning laboratory.

I could go on, but I'll let you find out more about our projects and some of the students they have catapulted to success by reading below. Thank you all - alumni and friends; students and parents; faculty and staff; and wonderful, faithful foundation friends - for helping Berry provide the education and support our students need in today's world.

And I thank you personally. My buddy Barry and I shared a strong love for Berry College - him as an alum and me as a member of the Berry family (yes, THAT Berry family). I am sure he is delighted for the campaign to be complete and my great-aunt Martha proud of the direction set for her beloved school.

Sincerely yours,

Randy Berry, Co-Chair
LifeReady Campaign

The generosity of alumni and friends has enhanced opportunity and outcomes for thousands of Berry students. Those featured here are representative of so many others who can claim the title of LifeReady because you chose to invest in their success.

The Gate of Opportunity Scholarship was designed for hardworking students like Leah Bolden. Two brothers were already in college when her turn came, and another was right behind. Money was tight for her family, which is why it was kismet when the Gate Scholarship provided the chance for her to work her way through Berry with the goal of graduating debt-free. Today, Bolden is a fourth-year medical student in Chicago with plans to specialize in internal medicine. She believes she was blessed not only to receive the scholarship, but also to have so many people - including donor-mentors Al (61c) and Becky Browning (61C) Christopher - help guide and shape her into the woman she is today.

"I don't think many people realize how many students rely on that level of scholarship support or the magnitude of its impact. The people who give to these types of scholarships are visionary. They are able to see not just who someone is now but who they can become. I don't know who I would be today if I hadn't gone to Berry College."

Leif Atchley (at left in photo) and Jermaine White came to Berry to make beautiful music. As students, the trumpeters excelled individually and in tandem, often performing in Ford Auditorium. They appreciated their historic surroundings but recognized the shortcomings of a structure built nearly a century before. Both are now honing their talents in prestigious graduate programs - Atchley at the Cincinnati Conservatory and White at Florida State University - but they are excited to know that current and future Berry musicians have a great space that will inspire even greater performances, the Betty Anne Rouse Bell Recital Hall at Ford. Atchley performed at the ceremonial "wall-breaking" for the renovation and afterward expressed pride in his alma mater's support of the arts.

"I think this is a really powerful statement that Berry believes in the power of music to change the lives of the students who come here. They want to attract the type of music students who will benefit from every avenue that Berry has to offer."

When Buster Wright (73C) envisioned the Berry Center for Integrity in Leadership, students like Ree Palmer were on his mind. A leader from the get-go, Palmer took advantage of every opportunity at Berry - even serving as SGA president - but BCIL offered an even deeper perspective. As one of the program's earliest participants, she gained critical insight on issues of character and integrity through regular meetings with her mentor, a former Georgia Supreme Court chief justice (pictured). Palmer since has earned a master's degree at Indiana University-Bloomington, where she now serves as director of development at the Luddy School. Meanwhile, the BCIL experience for Berry students continues to grow under the leadership of Dr. Nathaniel Pearson, inaugural holder of the Elvin (35C) and Fleta Patterson (35C) Sims directorship.

"My two years in BCIL's mentoring program offered a shift in perspective. After learning so much about leadership as it applies to Berry, BCIL gave me an opportunity to see how I could apply these lessons beyond Berry, how I could design a life around them."

Harrison Daniels' choice of college came down to financial support. He valued the Berry experience over Georgia Tech, but the numbers had to add up - and they did. The Pell Grant recipient benefited from scholarships and on-campus work opportunities, applying 50% of his wages toward tuition. Was Berry a good deal long term? Yes! The physics-and-math double major made the most of every moment, holding numerous campus leadership positions and discovering new interests working with mentors in creative technologies. Next came a master's degree from Georgia Tech; now he's an innovation catalyst for Otis Elevator using interdisciplinary skills to initiate and accelerate novel technological advances in elevators worldwide. If you call an elevator with your phone, think of Daniels!

"Early involvement with creative technologies mentors Dr. John Grout and Zane Cochran reshaped my future. The portfolio I developed got me into Tech and piqued my interest in innovation. I couldn't have gotten that kind of personalized experience anywhere but Berry."

Bernard Granville Jr. saw in Berry a place that could help "mold me as a man." That, and the opportunity to be part of an inaugural football team at a high-caliber school, was too much to pass up. By the time he graduated, Valhalla had opened and become a home of champions, and Granville was an All-Conference defensive lineman. He cherishes memories made on Valhalla's Williams Field, where he thrived under high-character coaches who helped shape his future as a role model for others. Today, with a master's degree from West Virginia University, he is a teacher and coach at Cedar Shoals High School in Athens, Ga., helping student-athletes pursue their dreams.

"Berry helped mold me into a well-rounded individual who isn't afraid to challenge the status quo and get his hands dirty. Berry taught me to lead with my head, my heart and my hands. True leadership comes from genuine care for people through action, and I have tried to adopt that into everything I do."

Theatre students like Katie Cooley have never lacked for passion. In Sisters Theatre and the newly renovated Blackstone Hall, they finally have the facilities to match their considerable potential. Within the walls of their "second home," majors and non-majors alike are taking full advantage of a functional, flexible space offering limitless possibilities. Now a senior, Cooley says she has "grown exponentially as a human being and a theatre practitioner" at Berry while performing on stage and working in other roles, including office manager. She now has a much broader understanding of her craft, having earned acclaim for her acting and summer job opportunities with the Berkshire Theatre Group in Massachusetts. She will graduate confident in her preparation and looking forward to perhaps one day starting her own theatre company.

"We have such amazing facilities that lend themselves to so many learning opportunities. I found my passion for front-of-house work here and learned about many facets of the theatre industry that I had never been privy to before. With the fantastic education I have received, I am confident that I can do whatever I set my mind to."

Look any direction on the Berry campus, and you will see examples of the student-centric progress made possible by the nearly 19,000 alumni and friends who supported the LifeReady Campaign with gifts of any size. The legacy of the largest fundraising effort in Berry history includes scholarships, facilities, programs and initiatives rooted in the character and experiences that always have set us apart.

Here, we are pleased to recognize by name those who played a leadership role with commitments of $10,000 or more. View the full list here.

Expand Opportunities for Students to Invest in their Own Success

Develop Leaders and Entrepreneurs with Character and Integrity

Create Places and Spaces that Spur Student Achievement

Other Needs

TOTAL: $135,136,002

1. Animal Science Building fundraising includes a $1.79 million realized bequest which is not included in the final LifeReady Campaign total. The commitment for this planned gift was included in Berry's previous Century Campaign.

2. Commitments to Betty Anne Rouse Bell Recital Hall at Ford and Renovation of Music Department include $1 million from Berry's capital budget; this amount is not included in the final LifeReady Campaign total.