Ohio Wesleyan’s OWjL Camp Earns $11,250 Grant From Ingram-White Castle Foundation
Funds to Provide Scholarships for Talented and Gifted Middle School Students
DELAWARE, OHIO – The Ingram-White Castle Foundation is awarding a three-year $11,250 grant to Ohio Wesleyan University’s OWjL Camp program to provide scholarships for talented and gifted middle school students to attend the weeklong academic camp.
OWjL Camp earned the Ingram-White Castle Foundation (IWCF) grant “because of your fit with the IWFC’s Mission and Values, and in response to the importance of the OWjL Camp program and your effectiveness in delivery of services to the community,” stated Erin Shannon, corporate relations manager for White Castle System, Inc. and fourth-generation Ingram family member, in announcing the award. The IWCF is a supporting foundation of The Columbus Foundation.
Each summer, Ohio Wesleyan hosts three weeklong sessions of OWjL Camp for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students from Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, and Union counties. Students must be nominated by principals, guidance counselors, or teachers to be eligible to attend OWjL Camp, during which time they live in residential halls on the OWU campus.
Students attending OWjL Camp select four courses from an academic program that includes mathematics, logic, computing, science, humanities, and creative development. Cultural, recreational, and social activities round out the experience.
Executive Director Susan Paxton said the Ingram-White Castle Foundation funds will help enable six economically disadvantaged students to attend OWjL camp during each of the next three years.
“OWjL Camp’s mission statement is to bring together gifted middle school students from economically and culturally diverse backgrounds, empowering them to achieve both academically and socially,” Paxton said. “Grants such as this generous award from the Ingram-White Castle Foundation help us to fulfill our mission and better serve our campers. We are grateful for this and all support we receive.”
Pronounced “owl,” the camp’s acronym stands for Ohio Wesleyan/Junior League of Columbus, which founded the program 34 years ago. Since then, more than 10,000 children have benefited from the OWjL experience.
OWjL was created following a two-year study that determined talented and gifted middle school students were underserved during the school year with programs to promote discovery and foster skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, research, leadership, and communication. Learn more at www.owu.edu/owjl.
About the Ingram-White Castle Foundation
The Columbus-based Ingram-White Castle Foundation supports programs that serve disadvantaged students and help them achieve academic success; help prepare students for the world of work; strengthen educational institutions; and address critical human service needs. Learn more at http://ingramwhitecastlefoundation.org.
About Ohio Wesleyan University
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 87 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.