Backstory
In the early 1900s, the Rhoads and Saunders families lived on farms less than two miles apart near Leonard, North Dakota. Bessie Saunders was a teenager keeping house for her bachelor brothers, Roy and Frank. Lulu Rhoads was a student at Elk Point Academy in South Dakota. While there she persuaded Bessie to come to the academy for her high school education. Bessie, wanting to look her best, arrived at the academy adorned in jewelry and makeup – not allowed in the academy dress code of the day. Shocked, many school faculty felt she should be sent home, but principal Bert Rhoads, Lulu’s uncle (and an experienced educator) said, “Let me deal with this.” Soon Bessie adopted a more modest appearance, and eventually her Christian training allowed her to lead both Frank and Roy to dedicate their lives to God. Lulu had some summer school teacher training and taught school a couple of years, while Bessie became a nurse.
Roy Saunders attended Sheyenne River Academy in North Dakota and eventually married Florence Rhoads, Lulu’s younger sister. Together, they became missionaries to South America.
Frank Saunders married Lulu in 1909, settling on the Saunders farm a few miles from Leonard. The couple had four children who grew to maturity: Eldon, Francis, Faith and Jeanne. Upon finishing the local eight-grade country school, Frank and Lulu wanted all their children to receive a Christian education, so several attended Sheyenne River Academy, and at least one attended Maplewood Academy in Hutchinson, Minnesota. The boys eventually made their career in farming.
The depression years were difficult. Lulu made soap from tallow and lye for the academy to help pay the $21 monthly tuition, room and board. The children remember mom wearing the same coat for twenty years and one of the girls wore overshoes to class because her shoes had a hole in the sole.
Frank and Lulu would be pleased to know that their sacrifices and efforts eventually established a scholarship fund to help Dakota students receive a post-secondary education. In 2020, the scholarship was opened up to another group of worthy students as well. As Jeanne had attended Maplewood Academy, she requested that any Maplewood graduate be allowed to apply.
Anyone wishing to help expand the impact of this fund through donation please make your check out to Dakota Conference Corporation, memo “Saunders Scholarship Fund." Mail to the Dakota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 7200 N. Washington St, Bismarck, ND 58503-6301.
Application Process
Two types of grants are available through the Frank & Lulu Saunders Scholarship to students holding church membership in the Dakota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Enrollment must be in a post-secondary educational institution that is listed in the most recent official Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook..
Click here for the "Graduate Student Scholarship Grant Application."
Click here for the "Undergraduate Student Scholarship Grant Application."
To apply for scholarship consideration, please follow these steps:
- Note eligibility requirements (top of the front page of the application form).
- Print and complete the application. Please print (or type) to ensure legibility.
- Provide a (minimum) one-page essay including information per instructions on the second page of the application form.
- Provide two letters of recommendation/reference: One from a current teacher and one from your current pastor and/or recent employer. Recommendations from relatives do not qualify.
- Scan all documents in the order listed, attach in PDF format, and email to vp.finance@dakotasda.org
- The deadline to receive applications is April 1.
Please note that ineligible applicants and/or incomplete application document sets (per the above list) will be disqualified without notice.
Established by Leonhardt & Darlene Kungel in 2021, this fund provides a $1500 scholarship annually to each of two Dakota students to attend Dakota Adventist Academy. Recipients must be baptized members within the Dakota Conference (if not yet baptized, regularly attending church). Recipients will be selected by a scholarship committee at the start of the first semester, and awarded funds will be credited to Dakota Adventist Academy on behalf of the recipient upon successful completion of the school year. Financial need will be the primary criteria, though scholarship (GPA) and citizenship activities will be taken into consideration.
Anyone wishing to help expand the impact of this fund through donation please make your check out to Dakota Conference Corporation, memo “Kungel Family Scholarship." Mail to the Dakota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 7200 N. Washington St, Bismarck, ND 58503-6301.
Just prior to his passing in 2016, Ron Purkapile had a conversation with Everett Schlisner about possible alternate uses for the Plainview Academy (PVA) alumni account: Why not establish a fund benefitting South Dakota students who wished to attend Dakota Adventist Academy? Donors would also be able to donate to this fund so that it would continue to grow and benefit South Dakota students.
At their last official business meeting June 2016, Plainview Academy alumni wholeheartedly embraced the idea and established the PVA-Ron Purkapile South Dakota Student Scholarship. This scholarship offers grants to benefit students whose home church is located in South Dakota and who are attending Dakota Adventist Academy. Students must maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or greater and maintain good citizenship standing and will be selected annually by the scholarship committee.
Grants will be awarded annually during the second semester and shall not exceed $750 individually. Total grants within the school year shall not exceed $1,500 or 15% of total scholarship assets at the time the grants are awarded. The funds are held by the Dakota Conference Corporation and grants will be paid directly to Dakota Adventist Academy on behalf of the recipients.
Anyone wishing to make a donation to the fund should make their check out to Dakota Conference Corporation, memo PVA-Purkapile Scholarship, and mailed to Dakota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 7200 N Washington St, Bismarck, ND 58503-6301.
Many who give to Dakota Adventist Academy experience the satisfaction of knowing their gift makes a real difference in the life of a young person, helping to “Build Friendships for Eternity.” Your gifts will help serve this generation and beyond.
Annual Fund Goal: $275,000/yr
Gifts to the Annual Fund are unrestricted donations that are valuable to the operation of the school. They contribute to the stability and security of the school program and are applied where the need is greatest.
Worthy Student Fund Goal: $125,000/yr
These gifts go to work immediately in assisting students with financial needs. Currently approximately half of our students receive assistance from this fund. Support is needed annually, especially in these financially difficult times.
Dorm Renovation Goal: $80,000/yr
Our students spend many hours in their dorm rooms throughout the school year. It is their home away from home. Here they study, sleep, relax, and spend personal time in worship. In addition, the dorms are used during alumni weekends, camp meetings, and other special events.
Gifts-in-kind:
Gifts of a non-monetary nature will benefit the school. They enrich programs and capital improvement. Examples could include furniture, landscape materials, library books, or musical instruments.
Special Funds:
Donors may give to a variety of programs including music, mission trips, art, basketball, or special projects. These enrich the quality of the programs offered to our students.
Gifts of Time & Talent:
Do you have time or expertise in an area that might benefit DAA? Contact us to see what projects need assistance and how we might work together.
Memorial Gifts:
Gifts may be made in memory of a loved one or a classmate.
Non-cash Gifts:
Donations of shares of stock, land, and crops are just a few ideas for non-cash donations.
Legacy Gifts:
Annual gifts such as those above play a vital part in the operation of our academy. Vital, too, are those gifts that are left in the form of a legacy through your estate plans. As you determine how your estate will be handled after your death, you can plan to give a portion to DAA. These gifts have tax implications and are often transmitted through a legal document such as a Will or Trust.
Endowment Gifts:
These gifts are major contributors to the school’s future stability and are often considered legacy gifts. Held by the Dakota Conference Corporation, these gifts include permanent funds that provide enduring financial resources to Dakota Adventist Academy and its programs. Invested in interest-earning accounts, the income is used annually for the designated purpose of the endowment. They are a "gift that keeps on giving,” a “lasting legacy.” Dakota Conference currently holds three endowments and a board-designated endowment which benefits DAA. Each year a portion of the earnings are provided to DAA to help with operating costs or scholarships.
As you consider this type of gift you are encouraged to consult your CPA or your attorney. You may also want to speak with DAA administration to learn particular areas of needs. Undesignated gifts that are received through estates are unrestricted and their use will be determined by the K-12 Board of Education.