A $150,000 gift to the Ever ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Campaign from The Sapphire Foundation will establish a need-based scholarship at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ. The foundation made the gift at the recommendation of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ parents Daniel and Laurel Woods, of Knoxville, Tenn.
The Sapphire Scholarship will be awarded to a student with demonstrated financial need who maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Endowing additional need- and talent-based scholarships is one of the goals of the $100 million Ever ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ Campaign.
Daniel Woods, foundation president, says ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s values are in line with those of the foundation, which is dedicated to education and conservation.
“Our mantra is ‘One Planet, One Family,’ and we felt that ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ was a good fit,” Woods says. “ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ is very international and a very progressive school, plus ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ has the moral values that we like. The way the world is going to find peace is through education, and just educating the people who can afford it is not going to accomplish that.”
The couple’s daughter, Amber, is a member of ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ’s Honors program and is “thrilled to be at ÂÒÂ×ÊÓƵ,” Woods says. The couple own The Woods Group, which invests in commercial properties.