Steer

Steer has had an impact on multiple families across multiple generations. I think the Steer Dinner will always have its place in Avila. Steer is such a celebration of the university and I think that that is part of it. It’s so energizing — the history behind it and the enthusiasm in the room.

Whenever I was a student here, I didn’t feel like I knew too much about Steer, but I knew it was a big event for Avila. And now being a professional here, Steer is like our big event.

Steer is really the only event that brings alums, donors, people who have just heard about Avila, students, faculty, staff. It’s our major fundraiser. Oh, it’s massive. I mean, I would say there’s probably not another event that’s more important than Steer.

You can see it in the everyday scholarships. For me personally, every single day I see it. We’re able to give money to students who might not have gotten money at other institutions. And it’s something special, honestly, being able to tell a kid that he can go to school when previously he might not have been able to go due to financial limitations.

When Sister Olive Louise took over the university, she was trying to figure out how to take the next step — always short of fundraising. And to grow the college you either have to grow a lot of tuition students or you have to get outside money. And so she was trying to learn how to raise funds like Rockhurst and other places did. She began just working the business community on her own, without appointment, knock on the door, asked for me. If I wasn’t available she would wait sometimes four hours, and she would ask me questions about the community and how things were accomplished.

And when I went to that American Royal event, a group of businessmen formed a syndicate to buy the American Royal Grand Champion. And they did that in order to get the animal a higher price so that people would continue to bring them and try and win the contest. And as an ancillary thought, they had — what would we do with this thing once we get it? One of them said, “Well, let’s give it to that Sister Olive Louise — she keeps coming by.” This got publicity in the paper and so forth. The nuns, the convent wasn’t going to eat it and we weren’t going to serve it in the cafeteria, and so she decided she would give it away and somebody said, “Well, you ought to auction it at least.”

I always think things start small. It’s really a matter of being present and realizing the opportunities that are often there that we don’t see. And I think when Sister Olive Louise, who was so passionate about this university, saw that opportunity, she grabbed it — not quite knowing what to do with a steer — but found a way to turn it into success for a good cause.

I want to make sure everyone knows how important their support of Steer Dinner is because it directly affects our students. There’s no question that higher education is expensive, not only to run an institution of higher education but for students to realize their dreams of an Avila degree. There’s a financial impact that is visible on the campus and in the student body size, and the growth of the university and the culture I’ve noticed has just grown every single year in positive ways — the improvements we’ve made throughout the university itself, the amazing artwork we’ve put up recently.

I’m very grateful to the people that donate because they’re not just donating money, they’re impacting me and my friends around me. That’s what brought me here to Avila.

They need a little bit of help like we all did. I did. I was lucky to have gotten a scholarship myself and that scholarship came from Steer.

We do such a great job, this institution, with living our mission. And that comes through with faculty, staff, students who may not understand the mission of the university, but they come here and they learn about it and they begin to live the mission of the university. And I think that one of those pieces is promoting access to all students and to anyone that wants to receive a bachelor’s degree.

When people come to Steer Dinner, when they support Steer Dinner, they’re coming for a fun evening, but that is also supporting our mission of higher education, education without limits, and love of the dear neighbor.

When I look at the next 50 years, I don’t think that that is going to go away. I think that that educational piece impacts a student not only during their years at Avila from a growth capacity, but also again through finding a career that they enjoy and then being able to build upon that career.

You might realize how impactful this is, but it’s double what you might originally think. I mean, looking at a student in the eyes and telling them that we’re going to be able to help them is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. And I truly have no part in that. So that’s why I say thank you.

But they can’t do it without you. They’re counting on our support to help them. So let me give you a profile of the typical Avila student. More than 50% of our students are traditional daytime students, but they also work a part-time job up to 20 hours per week. And 40% of our students are also college athletes with a small athletic scholarship — all of this just to make ends meet, just to pay for their education. 93% of our students receive federal funding to attend Avila, and 50% receive subsidized aid.

Student 1: My mom was a single mom. She’s like my rock, my favorite person in the whole world. And then my brothers too — I have a 9-year-old brother and he has autism, so he’s also like a huge motivating factor in my life. I just want them to see their big sister doing big things and I want them to know that they can do big things too. I pay for college on my own, so I was like there’s no way I’m going to be able to go to this school, but I might as well tour it and see if I like it. On my tour I sort of fell in love with just like the atmosphere at Avila. It just felt like it clicked, it felt right, it felt good being on campus. And then I got my award letter from Avila and I saw how much they were actually going to help me. I’m planning to get my Bachelor of Science in biology with a minor in chemistry. And so right now I’m actually doing my research capstone on the genetics behind Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, because I’m a CNA and I work in memory care for residents with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Student 2: Then when I found Avila and then I found the dance program, it gave me hope to keep dancing after high school, because I’ve been dancing since I was 6 years old. Cindy gave me another chance to be able to dance after high school. She always leads by example and I love that about Olivia. And it’s not like she puts it in your face that she’s doing it — you know how some people can lecture you and tell you what to do — she doesn’t do that. She’s very subtle in the way she does it and she has a lot of humility. She just walks the walk, I think is probably the best way to say it about her. I’ve never had friendships like I’ve had with girls on the dance team.

Student 3: Dr. Burgess — she is my mentor in research right now. She always tells me like, “You can do anything.” It’s sort of instilled in me that I have to — not that I have to, but I want to be able to do this for myself. I want to build my own legacy. My grandma, she’s real spiritual. She calls me and tells me a scripture and she’ll tell me, “Okay, what’s your favorite scripture?” And I’ll say Luke 1:37 — “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” It lit up her whole world. Like her eyes got bigger and it’s like you’re actually listening, you’re actually learning, and you’re taking God with you.

Student 4: Yes, college is very expensive and I do come from low-income living. I didn’t grow up in the best part of town and my mom wanted me to get out of that so bad. I wouldn’t have been able to pay for college without a scholarship. Coach Alexander saw more potential in me than I saw in myself. It was my second chance — he gave me my second chance. He offered me a scholarship and I told my mom and she instantly started crying. My favorite professor is Regina Staves. She always helped me, she always made sure — “Okay, are you doing this, are you on top of your work, are you doing these things to help you graduate?”

Student 5: He sits in the front of the class, he asks questions — when we ask a question of the class, he’s the one that answers. So he’s learning and he’s growing and that has been a nice thing to see. He hasn’t been just “I’m going to get through this, check the boxes, and then move on to something else.” He’s really engaged in the educational experience here.

Student 6: Being a student athlete consumes a lot of time so there’s not much time for a job. I wouldn’t have a degree, I wouldn’t be at the internship that I’m at now, I wouldn’t be preparing for a successful life without Avila, because they taught me how to do all those things. They’ve taught me how to keep going. I feel like that’s why I’m here and I’m alive today because college got me out.

Narrator: And that is why we’re here tonight. Because all Avila students have a story to tell. They are all working hard to reach their potential and you can be a part of that story. You can make a difference. Your gifts have an impact. You can help make a difference in their story, helping them change their lives. This is your chance to be a part of their happily ever after, so that someday they can be sitting where you are and they can give back too. So thank you. Now let’s come together and raise our paddles for our students.