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Health & Fitness

CSUSB Palm Desert Campus receives $250,000 gift; establishes H.N. and Frances C. Berger Scholarship Fund

PALM DESERT, Calif. – The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation has donated $250,000 for scholarships benefiting students at Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus.

The surprise announcement of the H.N. and Frances Berger Expendable Scholarship Fund, which is set to begin in the fall of 2014, was made during the annual CSUSB Palm Desert Campus Scholarship Dinner, which was held on Nov. 3 at the Bellatrix Restaurant at The Classic Club in Palm Desert.

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The funding will provide five $5,000 scholarships annually over a 10-year period for students enrolled at the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus.

“The H.N. and Frances Berger Scholarship Fund is an exciting way for us to continue our partnership with California State University, San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus, which we have been supporting for more than a decade,” said Catharine Reed, Senior Program Officer of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. “It’s important to us to provide more opportunities for our local students to attend our valley’s only four-year university.”

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“We are truly honored and delighted with the generosity of the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation,” said CSUSB President Tomás Morales. “We are especially grateful to Foundation President and CEO Ron Auen and his wife Sherrie, because they know and understand that helping students from the region will in turn benefit the Coachella Valley.”

The scholarships will be presented to Riverside County students attending California State University, San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus who are studying allied health, including nursing, nutrition, kinesiology, physical therapy and/or education. Scholarship recipients will be required to have a minimum 3.0 GPA and show financial need.

The foundation has been an active participant in the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus Scholarship Dinner since its inception four years ago. This year, the foundation underwrote the entire event, which allowed all funds raised the night of the dinner to go directly to student scholarships. Supporters participated in a “Raise Your Paddle” live auction, which generated an additional $45,000 for the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus Scholarship Fund.

Entertainment at the event, dubbed a “Rat Pack Evening,” was provided by Deana Martin, the very proud daughter of iconic entertainer, Dean Martin. She not only belted out familiar tunes, but also captivated the crowd of about 100 with stories about her father, "uncles" Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. and other showbiz luminaries.

Attendees included Ron and Sherrie Auen; Dick and Jan Oliphant; Catharine Reed; CSUSB President Tomás Morales and his wife Evy Morales; Fred Jandt, Dean of CSUSB Palm Desert Campus; Harold Matzner; Jim Houston and Patricia Bosley; Helene Galen and Jamie Kabler; Mona and Ed Sher; Phil and Lee Hixon; Peggy Cravens; John and Sharon Welty; Ray and Rhonda Smith; Vince and Jodi Ferragamo; John Campbell; Jack and Eleanora Jones; Frankie Randall; Melinda Read; Bill and Barbara Marx; Patrick Evans; and other local dignitaries and philanthropists.

The H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation is a private foundation that generously supports educational and other charitable projects. Since 1988, the Berger Foundation has contributed more than $350 million to charities throughout Southern California and the United States. For more information, visit http://www.hnberger.org/.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus, visit http://pdc.csusb.edu/.

 

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