College receives gift from the Jane Burkleo Scholarship Fund

July 20, 2016

The Anoka-Ramsey Community College Foundation recently received a $32,800 grant from the Jane Burkleo Scholarship Fund of the Minneapolis Foundation. The one-time gift will support the college’s Ellis Bergstrom Memorial Music Scholarships.

“Passing on this gift to Music students at Anoka-Ramsey means young artists can enter the wild world of music making, music study and music immersion and not be distracted by worries about tuition, fees and bills,” said Anoka-Ramsey Music Faculty member Melissa Bergstrom.

The Ellis Bergstrom Scholarships were created by Bergstrom along with fellow faculty and husband Samuel after their first-born son, Ellis. Ellis died nearly 10 years ago at the age of two-and-a-half after a short lifetime of major medical challenges, including a heart transplant.

“He was an amazing child – courageous, sunny, musically sensitive and full of love, no matter his lot in life. In his absence, we created this fund to support students who, too, have faced challenges and have continued to find room for music, hope and life in spite of it all,” said Bergstrom.

Starting this fall, the grant will be distributed to deserving students and will continue to be distributed through the 2017-2018 academic year.   

About the Ellis Bergstrom Memorial Music Scholarship
This scholarship is intended for Anoka-Ramsey Community College students pursuing an Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) in Music degree. All applicants must demonstrate in a typed educational essay how they have persevered in the face of a medical, physical or other personal life challenge. Qualifying applicants must also be prepared to maintain a cumulative 2.0 GPA while enrolled for a minimum of six credits per semester.

About the Jane Burkleo Scholarship Fund
Jane Burkleo had a life-long interest in music. In 1985 she established The Jane Burkleo Scholarship Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation for “the assistance of talented persons aged eighteen years and over in the active pursuit of education or training in music.” Burkleo died in 1986 at age 97.

About the Minneapolis Foundation
The Minneapolis Foundation helps donors turn their passion into action. The foundation manages charitable assets using investment strategies that are tailored to donors’ financial needs, philanthropic priorities, and passionate interests. Their expertise in philanthropic planning and in-depth knowledge of community issues and nonprofits helps make their donors’ giving go further. Each year, their donors support more than 1,000 different causes and charities in Minneapolis and beyond. For more information, visit minneapolisfoundation.org.

For more information about the Music programs or scholarships at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, visit AnokaRamsey.edu.