Who are the Bonners?

Since it activated in 1989, The Bonner Foundation has become one of the nation's largest privately funded service scholarship programs and a philanthropic leader in the anti-hunger movement. Through sustained partnerships with colleges and congregations, the Corella and Bertram F. Bonner Foundation seeks to improve the lives of individuals and communities by helping meet the basic needs of nutrition and educational opportunity. 

Its mission is to transform the lives of students and members and their campuses, and to strengthen their local communities and the world through service and leadership.

The Bonner Leaders Program

Today, the Foundation currently works with more than 50 institutions who have created the Bonner Leaders Programs. The Bonner Foundation seeks to expand the Bonner Leaders Program on individual campuses and through local, state, or regional campus consortiums.

Each of these campuses has a core group of 5-30 student members (Tusculum has about 20 members) who commit to completing the required hours of community service during their term. The Bonner Leaders work on issues such as improving educational opportunities and fighting hunger through community programs that focus on literacy issues, mentoring and nutrition/anti-hunger initiatives. These students also participate in regular training and reflection activities sponsored by their campuses, their community partners, and the Bonner Foundation. Training and reflection activities are based on a four tier training module provided by The Bonner Foundation. These modules outline a four year program that starts with Exploration, moving onto Experience, and culminating with Example and Excellence.

Benefits & Obligations

A grant of up to $1,000 per semester (renewable for four years) may be available per approval through the Financial Aid Office. Requirements for the program include:

• Attending weekly meetings
• Group service projects
• Program Leadership Roles
• Service Placement (self chosen)

Through these activities the Bonner Leader will serve at least 100 hours of volunteer time per semester (that's about 10 hours per week). Applications are accepted in the spring for the following fall semester.

An AmeriCorps grant of $1,000 is available to those who can commit to an additional 100 hours of service, which is typically performed durning the summer months following the school year. Please contact the Bonner Leader Director for more information. AmeriCorps website

...More about participating in the Bonner Leaders Program

Being a Bonner Leader means:

• Being open-minded and willing to work with diverse groups of people
• Having a commitment to strengthening the community through service
• Organizing campus and community wide service projects
• Involvement in a community of peers dedicated to making a difference
• Leadership development and opportunities
• Participating in national service conferences

• Practice the civic arts
• Develop communication and leadership skills
• Build relationships with the community while serving
• Work together to create positive change

Opportunities in the Bonner Leaders Program