Lending a Hand: Trustee Jim Henderson Supports Eagles Care Fund
Melanie Azam
Melanie Azam
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Melanie Azam
Sep 25, 2020, 1:25 PM
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Jim Henderson (HonDoc ’13) has been an Embry-Riddle supporter for years. He’s seen the campus community struggle in the past, but the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on students is unlike anything he’s ever seen.
“Covid-19 has been very disruptive,” he says. “It is a unique and challenging time and some of our students and their families have been impacted financially. This is a critical time to help students remain on track for their degree.”
That is why Henderson, a trustee since 2003, decided to give to the Eagles Care Student Emergency Assistance Fund at all three Embry-Riddle campuses (Florida, Arizona, and Worldwide).
“I wanted to hit a broad base of the student population,” he says.
Henderson, who is chairman and CEO of AssuredPartners, a private insurance brokerage firm, says he sees the emergency fund as something unique from other funds at the university. It can provide immediate help to students in need of a helping hand to stay in school and remain on the path to graduation, he says.
As of Sept. 10, Embry-Riddle had received gifts of nearly $180,000 to assist students with Covid-19-related issues and other crises.
Embry-Riddle Worldwide student Shelby Hickey, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics, was one of the students helped by the fund. The 19-year-old says the pandemic affected her father’s job and negatively impacted her family financially.
“It has been a challenging period for us,” she says. “The Eagles Care funding assisted me greatly, because I was able to use the donation to offset my tuition costs. This allowed my parents to be able to focus on covering the cost for my books.”
Hickey says the university’s support has inspired her.
“I am more motivated to work hard to maintain my current academic performance as a way of showing my appreciation for the donation from the Eagles Care Emergency Fund,” she says. “This kind gesture has certainly made a big difference for me and my family."