Eat. Learn. Play. Wildcats.: Stephen and Ayesha Curry Support Davidson Student Success Through Lula Bell鈥檚 Resource Center
June 2, 2021
- Author
- Danielle Strickland
Ayesha and Stephen Curry鈥檚 Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation focuses on nutrition, education and physical activity, all things children need to thrive. Their support of 国产福利精品推荐 will enhance the student experience and bridge resource gaps.
When Davidson students arrive on campus, they bring the challenges from back home with them.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry are helping ease that strain.
Davidson recruits talented students from all backgrounds, in part because education includes learning both alongside and from each other. Students from a range of life experiences bring different perspectives into the classroom or a project.
Sometimes they also have different personal responsibilities.
Davidson meets students鈥 demonstrated financial need with scholarships, including money for meal plans for many students. But there is much about students鈥 lives that the college does not know. A student may, for example, face circumstances that push them to send some of their meal plan money home to help their families, leaving themselves at risk.
Lula Bell鈥檚 Resource Center, at Davidson, opened in 2017 to help close that gap and others and provide the full Davidson experience for all students.
If a student is hungry, they can get food without cost or questions.
The center also offers professional outfits for interviews, winter clothing, textbooks and kitchen supplies at no cost. Since its launch, demand has surged, with student visits numbering in the thousands鈥97 percent for food and groceries.
In support of all Davidson students and in alignment with the work of their foundation, , Stephen, from the class of 2010, and Ayesha have made a generous gift to eliminate the current funding shortfall created by increasing demand for the resources that Lula Bell鈥檚 provides.
"Davidson has played such an important role in my life, so with the challenges of this past year negatively impacting students, Ayesha and I wanted to give back in a way that supported the needs of Davidson students,鈥 said Stephen Curry, co-founder of the foundation. 鈥淲e've been able to see the incredible impact that Lula Bell's Resource Center has had since its creation, and we're excited to be able to lend a helping hand through our Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.鈥
Lula Bell鈥檚 reaches a wide array of students. Some may only visit once a semester to pick up rented textbooks, while for others, like Ben Leach '22 and Julia Lau '23, Lula Bell鈥檚 provides a safety net.
Leach is a junior psychology major from Boston who plans to attend medical school and continue his education in neuroscience. His health insurance and phone bill are paid by his mother, but the family鈥檚 finances are stretched, with his father suffering from Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. All other expenses are Leach鈥檚 to cover. He is a Thatcher Scholar, Bonner Scholar and recipient of support from The Davidson Trust. He views Lula Bell鈥檚 like an extension of his family.
鈥淔reshman year was okay because we were required to get the largest 21-meal plan, but as time has gone on, I depend on Lula Bell鈥檚 for almost every service they offer,鈥 Leach said. 鈥淚 also volunteer there, so I鈥檝e gotten a better picture of the breadth of its campus reach. You don鈥檛 expect to see some of the faces you might see鈥擨 would not want to project about someone鈥檚 financial circumstances, but it has been very educational. There have been so many improvements lately, too, from additional food options to a more expansive textbook program鈥擠avidson is putting in the effort to make it even better.鈥
Lau came to Davidson from Los Angeles, where she was also considering UCLA and Berkeley. After an in-person visit, the intended digital and screen media major and computer science minor chose Davidson. Lula Bell鈥檚 has been critical in lightening the financial load she carries. Lau is also a Bonner Scholar and benefits from The Davidson Trust.
鈥淚鈥檝e taken advantage of the food and textbooks, mostly,鈥 Lau said. 鈥淚 love that Lula Bell鈥檚 gives students resources we otherwise wouldn鈥檛 be able to afford, or at least things that, if we had to buy them, would make our lives more difficult. Knowing I can borrow textbooks is huge. I鈥檝e talked to friends at different schools, and they don鈥檛 have a resource quite like this. It鈥檚 modern and welcoming, and if it weren鈥檛 for COVID times, it鈥檚 a place I鈥檇 want to come and chill, too.鈥
Since Stephen Curry鈥檚 time on campus, Davidson has taken measurable steps in bridging the most critical gaps in student resources. In the last 15 years, academic resources and student services have more than tripled. Davidson鈥檚 scholarship program is the driver in ensuring that financial circumstance is not a barrier to a Davidson education for talented students. As the community changes, the support structure must change, too.
鈥淓ven with our commitment to meeting need, many of our amazing students face personal and financial challenges, and no one on this campus should go hungry or be without books,鈥 said 国产福利精品推荐 President Carol E. Quillen. 鈥淪tephen and Ayesha鈥檚 generous gifts help ensure that creative and courageous students from any circumstances have the opportunity to enjoy the Davidson experience.鈥
Along with resources for all students, the center, named in honor of the late Lula Bell Houston, a 60-year Davidson employee, hosts innovative and informative programming around systemic social issues and life skills, such as financial literacy.
鈥淟ula Bell鈥檚 embodies a community coming together to support each other,鈥 said Kristin Booher, Davidson鈥檚 director of civic engagement and Bonner Scholars. 鈥淔rom day one, we had countless champions who understood the need for a space like this. It is bright, comfortable and right in the center of campus. Everyone is welcome, and there are no questions asked, because at Davidson, we realize we all are sometimes in a position to give and sometimes in a position where we have needs. And although most students visit Lula Bell鈥檚 because they have a specific goal in mind, nothing about it feels transactional. Without a doubt, every gathering place on campus is beneficial, but I believe Lula Bell鈥檚 is special.鈥
Eat. Learn. Play. focuses on the three vital pillars for a healthy, fun and successful childhood鈥攏utrition, education and physical activity. Their work aims to unlock the full human potential of every child by fighting to end childhood hunger, ensuring access to quality education and providing safe places for all children to play and be active.
Lula Bell's was made possible through the investment of Decker Anstrom and Sherry Hiemstra in memory of their son Tom Anstrom, a member of the class of 2004, who loved Davidson and who believed that every student should have the opportunity to take full advantage of all Davidson offers.
The Currys鈥 most recent support ensures every student will have the opportunity to thrive at Davidson without day-to-day barriers inhibiting their focus and achievement as they prepare for lives of leadership, service and impact in their communities and around the world.
