During its June 10 annual shareholder meeting, the Butler Giving Circle selected Founder’s College as the recipient of this year’s $10,740 community partnership grant. The grant will provide funding for Founder’s College to acquire and implement the Building Dreams platform, an evidence-based software designed by the Fight for Life Foundation to empower students to monitor and manage their emotional well-being, address life challenges, and support their peers, while fostering personal agency and resilience.
Founder’s College welcomed its inaugural class of students last August, and the Building Dreams software will build upon the high-touch support services already provided, enhancing support for the students’ social and emotional well-being as they pursue their academic goals at Butler. The platform helps students monitor emotions, report concerns, set goals, and build healthy habits using gamified incentives. It also allows anonymous reporting of safety or behavioral issues, and provides faculty and staff with actionable insights to identify patterns, tailor support, and respond to needs in real time.
As students use the platform to access specific and consistent services, faculty and staff will become more familiar with their needs and learn what works for them. This information will allow faculty and staff to more effectively engage the Butler community in delivering interventions that are relevant and effective in fueling student success.
In addition to this year’s community partnership grant, the Butler Giving Circle also awarded $5,370 to its priority partner, the Fund to Support Student Mental Health, and $10,740 to the Butler Fund for Student Scholarship. Since its inception in 2019, the Butler Giving Circle has awarded more than $235,122 to support community partnerships and student access and success, two mission-critical elements of the University’s vision for the future.
Following the launch of the Butler Ambassador program earlier this year, the Butler Giving Circle will come to a close as future opportunities for engagement and philanthropic partnership will be structured through the Ambassador program. In alignment with the University’s Boldly Butler strategic direction and comprehensive fundraising campaign, Butler alumni and friends are invited to continue the Butler Giving Circle’s legacy of support by making gifts to the Butler Fund for Student Scholarship or the Fund to Support Student Mental Health. Building on the strong foundation laid by the Butler Giving Circle, the Butler Ambassador program will also provide additional pathways for connection and involvement for the global Butler community.
“Since 2019, Butler Giving Circle shareholders have had an incredible impact on Butler students and our broader Indianapolis community,” Vice President for University Advancement and Marketing Jonathan Purvis says. “Over the years, these shareholders funded a wide variety of important community projects and initiatives, several of which continue to this day. We are deeply grateful for the legacy of the Butler Giving Circle and are excited to welcome even more Butler alumni and friends to experience the power of philanthropy through our Butler Ambassador program in the years ahead.”
Boldly Butler is our commitment to setting the standard for delivering a transformative education with local impact and global reach. To achieve this strategic vision, we’ve launched the Boldly Butler comprehensive fundraising campaign, the largest in Butler’s history, with a goal of raising $325 million by May 31, 2030. Learn more or make a gift today at boldly.butler.edu.