Dear Friends,
As Co-Chairs of the Campaign for University Prep Academy of Grand Rapids, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new initiative to support our students’ well-being: the Learning and Wellness Center Campaign. We are reaching out to our esteemed alumni, dedicated parents, generous donors, and supportive community to join us in raising $7 million to build a state-of-the-art Learning and Wellness Center for our students.
At University Prep Academy, we believe that a holistic approach to education includes not only academic excellence but also the physical, mental, and emotional health of our students. The Learning and Wellness Center will be a modern facility featuring a regulation gymnasium for volleyball and basketball, along with broader student health programming, additional learning spaces, classrooms, and labs. This will create an innovative environment and multifunctional space for both our students and the community.
The Learning and Wellness Center will be a hub of activity and learning, offering a variety of resources and opportunities for our students to succeed. We are proud to share that the Center will also be open to groups beyond our student body, including students’ families and the broader GRPS and neighborhood communities. It will serve as an important resource for promoting health and wellness among all community members, and as a platform for educational initiatives that will benefit not just our students but the wider community.
To make this ambitious vision a reality, we need your support. We invite you to join us in this campaign by making a charitable gift that will directly help with the construction and operation of the Learning and Wellness Center. Your generosity will leave a lasting impact on the lives of our students and the wider community, creating a space where learning, wellness, and community involvement come together.
Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our students and the community. We are confident that with your support, we will be able to raise the $7 million needed to realize this transformative project. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to University Prep Academy.
Letter from the Principal
In 2008, the doors opened to a unique public-private partnership with Grand Rapids Public Schools for 118 scholars. This was the beginning of the Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy story. The following year I entered UPrep as a bright-eyed 8th grade teacher not sure of what to expect, but open to learning about this community. My seventeen-year UPrep journey has seen me transition from teacher to Assistant Principal and then to Principal. During those seventeen years I have had the privilege to be a part of a collaborative, innovative, and resilient community that has journeyed to three different locations and has expanded to serve about 490 scholars each year. As the Principal, I am proud to say we have had 12 cohorts that have graduated from UPrep and that have reached our goal each year of 90/90. That goal being meeting or exceeding a graduating rate of over 90% and having at least 90% of each cohort accepted to a post-secondary institute. We have been successful in meeting this goal each year and have even had two cohorts with a 100% graduate rate. With the unwavering support and collaboration from our community partners, our scholars have had the opportunities to participate in leadership programs, art exploration, job shadows and internships, mentoring, early college and dual enrollment, SAT test preparation and more. These powerful experiences have been important to connect the pieces to build a thriving community. We can’t stop.
I am excited to share a transformative initiative that we are embarking upon to enhance the well-being of our scholars and the community. We aim to create a state-of-the-art facility that will serve as the heart of our commitment to the fostering of the physical, mental, and emotional well-being among our scholars, staff, and the Grand Rapids community. Our vision is to create a vibrant space that connects the pieces of a modern fitness center to a nurturing community hub that will allow for us to provide our scholars and community with guidance, counseling services, and nutrition center resources to support healthier living. This facility will have welcoming areas where the scholars and community can have a shared space to come together, strengthen bonds, learn from each other, and foster a sense of belonging. Lastly, the facility will include sports and recreation areas that will serve in promoting teamwork, leadership and sportsmanship among our scholars. Through the support of our superhero community partners, we invite you to help us to piece together the resources for this transformative project. We know that everyone carries with them at least one piece to someone else’s puzzle and supporting the transformative Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy Health and Wellness Learning Center is just one way to help add the missing puzzle pieces for our community that will have a lasting impact.
Principal, Mrs. Kenyatta Hill-Hall
Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy
What is the Learn More Live Well Campaign?
Board leaders are exploring the possibility of a $7 million fundraising campaign to build a student wellness center and seed a school endowment to support innovative educational programming at the school.
This $5 million, 16,400 sq. ft. space is designed with flexibility in mind so that it can also be used to host school events, student led activities, and regional gatherings. The $2 million endowment will allow the school to offer innovative programs while also providing ongoing operational support for future school improvements and renovations.
The Learning and Wellness Center will focus on seven dimensions of Scholar development, including:
How You Can Help Us Learn Beyond The Classroom
We are reaching out to our esteemed alumni, dedicated parents, generous donors, and our supportive community to join us in raising $7 million to build a state-of-the-art Learning and Wellness Center for our Scholars.
You can help us achieve this important goal by supporting the campaign through:
A one-time cash gift
A multiple year pledge commitment (may be paid over a three-year period)
A gift of appreciated assets (i.e. stock)
An estate gift
Your charitable gift is tax deductible to the full extent of state and federal law. Please check with your tax advisor to determine how your gift may affect your personal tax situation.
