Launched in January 2018, the Winning Victories Grant program at Antioch College is designed to support alumni initiatives that impact quality of life, public good, social justice, and the environment in local, national, and international communities through an annual grant competition. This year, two grants of $20,000 were awarded to alumni from the class of 2000 or later.
The Winning Victories finalists at Reunion. From left to right: Karen Mulhauser ’65 (president of the Alumni Association), Addison Nace ’17 (finalist), Karen Foreit ’67 (Alumni Board), Lela Klein ’02 (grant recipient), Anzia Bennett ’03 (grant recipient), and Jesús Canchola Sánchez ’00 (finalist). Grant finalist Josh Hershfield ’08 could not attend Reunion 2019 and submitted his presentation via video.
Twenty-one young alumni committed to making a difference in the world submitted proposals. Each proposal was carefully and independently scored by two alumni reviewers. Five proposals with the highest overall scores were selected.
Finalists presented their proposals at Reunion on Saturday morning, July 13, 2019. Voting for the winners took place immediately after the presentations, and the two winning grants were announced at the Celebration Dinner the same night.
This year’s winners were Anzia Bennett ’03, for her proposal, Three Sisters Kitchen: Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program, which will connect 50 food-insecure households with free, fresh, locally-grown food, and nutrition education for 20 weeks, celebrating local food traditions, and creating stable markets for small farmers, and Lela Klein ’02, for Creating a Cooperative Economy in the Rust Belt: Co-op Dayton, which aims to build economic power from the ground up with blue collar workers in Dayton, OH, by developing a network of worker-owned businesses.
Intended for all types of initiatives, including business, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit, the Winning Victories Grant was envisioned and funded by Antioch College Trustee Matthew Morgan ’99. Twenty-one applications were submitted by Antioch College alumni who are creating positive change in their communities and living up to the words of Horace Mann, the College’s first president, by “winning victories for humanity.” The impressive projects submitted in the grant proposals are a testament to the power of an Antioch College education. A selection committee reviewed applications and chose five semi-finalists to be reviewed and voted on by the Antioch College Community, resulting in this year’s finalists.
The success of Antioch College and the compelling story of its revival as a new kind of college is due to the support of alumni, their perseverance, and their belief in the value of an Antioch education. The annual awards from the Winning Victories Grant provide a way for the College to support alumni in return.
