Dayton Foundation Assists Kettering College Ukrainian Students

The Dayton Foundation has awarded Kettering College $25,000 for their Ukrainian Student Humanitarian Support project to cover food expenses for the 34 Ukrainian students at Kettering College. 
 

In 2022, Kettering College, invited college students from Ukraine to continue their studies at Kettering College. The Russian invasion shut down most universities in Ukraine, disrupting students’ education and career goals. 
 

Dr. Nate Brandstater, Kettering College president, created the initiative when the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists created an Education Emergency Plan, asking various colleges and universities in North America how they could promptly help students studying in SDA schools in Ukraine. This began the initiative to invite students to Kettering College to continue their education, free of charge. 

 

The Dayton Foundation is greater Dayton’s largest and oldest community foundation. The grant from The Dayton Foundation will help Kettering College students impacted by the war in Ukraine. The students have been attending Kettering College for two years at no cost, and their fees have been covered by donations from the community, churches, and organizations. Most of the 34 Ukrainian students are enrolled in the Nursing program, while others are in the Respiratory Care or Health Sciences program.  

 

Several Ukrainian students have taken on jobs at Kettering Health to increase their English skills and prepare for healthcare careers. As the future of Ukraine is unknown, most students plan to remain in the greater Dayton area after graduation to begin their careers here in their adopted community. 

 

Kettering College has expressed their deep gratitude to The Dayton Foundation for their partnership in this unprecedented initiative. The generous grant will help continue the work of supporting international students who have uprooted their lives to find safety and allowing them access to education that was abruptly taken away in Ukraine.  

 

The grant will provide food to Ukrainian Kettering College students to help remove a barrier and bring a sense of peace to students who need that now more than ever as they bravely create new lives in Kettering. For young adults who have had to learn to take each day as it comes, this partnership makes the journey a bit smoother.