WinShape Foundation
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| Founded | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) private foundation |
| 58-1595471 (EIN) | |
| Location | |
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Key people
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Robert Skelton, Executive Director S. Truett Cathy, President Donald Cathy, Vice President |
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Revenue
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$26.1 million (2010) |
| Website | www |
The WinShape Foundation is an American charitable organization founded in 1984 by Jeanette Cathy and Truett Cathy, founder of fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A. WinShape's sister foundation, Lifeshape, was started by the Cathy's daughter and husband, Trudy and John White.
After its 1983 school year, Berry College (1902–present) closed its affiliated middle and high school operations at their financially struggling Berry Academy, forming the WinShape Foundation in 1984. As a separate non-profit foundation WinShape focused on a small college scholarship program housed in the former Berry Academy buildings. Subsequently a boys and girls summer camp were each added and foundation programs expanded to include foster homes, a challenge/ropes course, corporate and marriage retreats, and United States as well as global mission trips.
In 2007, the Foundation spent $18 million on the projects it supports, which include college scholarships, a network of foster homes and camps, and programs for marriage counseling.
The WinShape scholarship currently provides students at Berry College $8,000 yearly – funded jointly by WinShape and Berry College. These funds replace the first $8,000 of any academic scholarships offered by the college and require a special application and interview process. The program originated with only several dozen students and offered a total of $10,000 over four years. Today, WinShape currently has over 400 college students enrolled per year, with over 800 alumni in just over 20 years.
The requirement details of the scholarship program have varied since its inception. Eligibility originally required current Chick-fil-A employment, high achievement and community involvement in high school, and a willingness to sign a contract including Christianity-based rules. Employment by Chick-fil-A is no longer a requirement, but the Christian-based nature of WinShape is perhaps stronger today than ever; the current contract specifies weekly meeting attendance, leadership discussion group participation, community service, and a Fundamentalist Christian lifestyle, including abstaining from alcohol and drugs. Beginning in 2006, freshmen and transfer students were required to attend a week-long orientation camp known as FreshThing.
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Wikipedia