Friends of the Lion
Buy Your Tickets Now for Friday, February 27th, 2009. Tickets are $50.00 per person.
Each year First Baptist Academy (FBA) is pleased to host our Friends of the Lion Banquet. This event is an opportunity for people to hear first hand what God is doing on our campus. The evening includes a meal, testimonies, student entertainment and a challenge from a guest speaker to financially support the Academy.
Last year’s banquet featured Larry Taylor, Headmaster of Prestonwood Christian Schools in Dallas, Texas. Over 250 people were in attendance and over $400,000.00 was raised for the Annual and Financial Aid Funds (see below). Our next Friends of the Lion Banquet is scheduled for Friday, February 27th, at 6:30 p.m. Dr. Paul Dixon, Chancellor of Cedarville University is our speaker. For more information on this event please call 597-2233, extension 300.
Friends of the Lion 2008
Contributions to “Friends of the Lion 2008” which includes donations, sponsorships and pledges was $433,081, which is an 85% increase over 2007 giving of $234,932. The categories of giving for the “Friends of the Lion 2008” were focused in the areas of the Annual Fund and Financial Aid.
Annual Fund
The Annual Fund collected $338,456 in donations. The primary purpose of this fund is to allow flexibility in purchasing supplies or funding events that would not otherwise be available in the general operating budget.
Financial Aid and Partnership Grants
$94,625 was collected in 2008, and is being used to fund financial assistance to FBA families, compared to $142,037 from giving in 2007. This fund supplements the budgeted allowance, thus increasing our ability to meet the growing needs of families who need assistance to attend FBA. The Financial Aid awards totaled $414,541 and the breakdown for 2008-2009 is as follows:
In 2007, over 18% of our student body received some financial assistance. In 2008-2009, the percentage of our student body requiring assistance has increased to 25%. The average award given this year is $2,948 as compared to $2,875 last year. This area of giving will be an ongoing need for FBA as the need per child and the number of students at FBA requiring assistance increases yearly. Our expected need for the Financial Aid Fund for the 2009-2010 school year is $400,000 and growing. The financial needs for aid not met through Friends of the Lion are met by donations given through other venues and a Financial Aid line item in the regular FBA budget.