Letter from the Director

When my brothers and I were growing up, each night at dinner my parents would ask "what have you done today to make the world a better place"? It was a question as much as a challenge - that each of us had the responsibility to look toward the future and carve our the role we would play toward improving the world in which we live. Twenty-five years later they created The Eagle Foundation. Eagle's belief is that we, as a society, have the responsibility to look toward the future and decide what role we will play to make this world a better place. The symbol of the Eagle was chosen because it is a powerful leader that soars on its own current and charts its own path. This is the vision Eagle holds for its scholars. They are highly motivated and successful young men and women who know what they want out of life and know what path they need to take to make their dreams a reality.

However as college costs continue to soar, it is becoming harder and harder for students to do the same. Knowledge is power.  Before learning to be a strong, active and vital adult, a child must learn something about the world in which he or she lives. But maturity requires different skills in different situations. An education provides the vehicle in which to master these skills and develop opinions; in short to develop a personal identity. Unfortunately, financially less privileged students are often denied access to not only an education but the choice of a college for which they are best qualified and whose programs are most conducive to their own educational development. Although college scholarships and financial aid programs are available, they are not enough. Most scholarship foundations fail to offer ongoing financial assistance. Consequently, students can afford to begin their college experience but are unable to manage the increasingly exorbitant costs of continuing. Students who take advantage of federal loan programs graduate with interest-bearing debts totaling as high as $100,000+ therefore placing graduates in enormous debt.  More comprehensive steps must be taken so that academically qualified young students will not be denied access to and education simply because the costs prove unmanageable.

To address this challenge, The Eagle Foundation was formed as a means to provide an opportunity to students who would not otherwise be able to afford an education at a premier university. Eagle provides these scholars with the financial, emotional, social, and motivational encouragement and support they require to enter the working world, free of debt, and prepared to take a leadership role in the community in which they live. Eagle is dedicated to preparing the next generation of executives to lead change. These leaders vary in background, experience, and vocation but they share a passion for the promises of life, the wish to help others, and the desire to express themselves fully and freely. They are the leaders of tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Brenda Ditri Landsman
Foundation Director