A $150,000 gift to the Ever Ƶ Campaign from The Sapphire Foundation will establish a need-based scholarship at Ƶ. The foundation made the gift at the recommendation of Ƶ parents Daniel and Laurel Woods, of Knoxville, Tenn.
The Sapphire Scholarship will be awarded to a student with demonstrated financial need who maintains a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. Endowing additional need- and talent-based scholarships is one of the goals of the $100 million Ever Ƶ Campaign.
Daniel Woods, foundation president, says Ƶ’s values are in line with those of the foundation, which is dedicated to education and conservation.
“Our mantra is ‘One Planet, One Family,’ and we felt that Ƶ was a good fit,” Woods says. “Ƶ is very international and a very progressive school, plus Ƶ has the moral values that we like. The way the world is going to find peace is through education, and just educating the people who can afford it is not going to accomplish that.”
The couple’s daughter, Amber, is a member of Ƶ’s Honors program and is “thrilled to be at Ƶ,” Woods says. The couple own The Woods Group, which invests in commercial properties.