Members of WILL and representatives of the WNMU Foundation gathered to mark the establishment of the WILL Scholarship for Lifelong Learners, Oct. 28, 2024. Standing (L-R) are Scholarship Fund Account Manager George Turner, Executive Director of WILL Mary Odessa (MaryO) Parker, WILL Advisory Board President Patty Reed, Executive Director of the WNMU Foundation Jodi Edens-Crocker, and WILL Advisory Board Treasurer Len LambertSILVER CITY, NM—The WNMU Foundation and the Western Institute of Lifelong Learning (WILL) held a signing event on October 28, 2024 to mark the establishment of the new WILL Scholarship for Lifelong Learners.

WILL is a nonprofit associated with the university that fosters intentional, inclusive community and provides opportunities for lifelong learning and volunteerism by offering approximately 160 classes each year, led by volunteers.

The new scholarship was inspired by a donation to WILL in honor of one of its members. "The seed money was donated in remembrance of a prominent member of WILL that passed away, Sonnie Sussillo," said Len Lambert who serves as WILL Advisory Board Treasurer.

"Sonnie Sussillo was our curriculum chair and was on the advisory board," explained Patty Reed, one of the founders of WILL and its current board president. "When she passed away, two of her dear friends donated seed money."

In addition to the seed money, said Lambert, WILL was able to raise additional funds through the Grant County Community Foundation's Give Grandly event, which facilitates donations to local non-profit organizations.

Before deciding to endow a scholarship, said Lambert, the board considered how to best use the money donated in honor of Sussillo, as the donors made the gift to WILL without restrictions. The board decided on the scholarship, he said, because a scholarship will be ongoing testament to the importance of education.

The scholarship will be available to both undergraduate and graduate students, whether they are attending on a part-time or full-time basis.

Jodi Edens-Crocker, WNMU Foundation Executive Director, said that the new scholarship was a fitting reflection of the values of WILL. "The purpose behind this scholarship," she said, shows that WILL's members have "a real understanding of community and life-long learning and also an understanding that our student population is not necessarily first-generation."

Executive Director of WILL Mary Odessa (MaryO) Parker said that the new scholarship is personally meaningful to her. "I was a single mother when I graduated from college, and I graduated ten years to the day that I graduated high school, and my son had his preschool graduation the same day," said Parker. "If it wasn't for scholarships, there is absolutely no way I could have finished my degree. I was that nontraditional student that WILL supports."

As with most scholarship endowments, the endowment for the WILL Scholarship for Lifelong Learners will be invested and allowed to earn interest before a scholarship is awarded, explained Scholarship and Fund Account Manager George Turner, who facilitated the establishment of the scholarship. He added, "I look forward to being a part of selecting the students and being able to have that impact on their lives, which is always very meaningful."