Nancy and Don Bates

Nancy and Don Bates, parents of alumnus Eric Bates '00, have made arrangements in their will to set up endowed scholarships at the colleges their three children attended. Recognizing that the personal support their children received from attending small colleges had contributed to the individual success of their children, they decided to show their appreciation by helping other students and parents through scholarship funds. Eric transferred to The Abbey in 1997 from a large university and while here, he embraced school, work and life with a new passion; he was an active participant in the campus ministry annual retreat and a member of the dean's list. The Bates Family Scholarship was set up in 2002. Mrs. Bates says, "The simplest way to phrase how I came to make this decision to set up the endowed scholarships is, it came from my heart. I had just finished treatment for breast cancer and that experience brought home to me how fragile life can be. As a survivor, I felt it was God's plan to lead me to ways that decisions within my power could help to benefit others long after I leave this world." She is very glad that other families can be helped by the benefits their students will receive from the scholarship.

You also may want to make it easy and convenient to have a bequest included in your will. The language below shows how a bequest can very easily be included in your will.

You might find it helpful to select the "print" button on the top of your screen and print this page. You may feel free to give this page to your attorney. If he or she has any questions, please have him or her contact Monica Mattioli at phone number 704-461-6674 or e-mail us at [email protected].