The Anchor Bay Community Foundation has received a gift of $700,000 to enhance all of the scholarship endowments in our program.
The gift was received from Mr. Carlos Alvarez through his private family foundation, the Impetus Foundation. He is the CEO of the Gambrinus Company, and Shiner Beer, a leading craft brewer founded in Antonio, Texas. Recently, Mr. Alvarez reached out to the Foundation to discuss the possibility of a donation.
And how, you say, does Mr. Alvarez of Texas come to offer a donation to a nonprofit in Michigan? The story began in 1966 when the young boy of 15 was sent from Mexico to Michigan to attend Anchor Bay High School as an exchange student. His mother sent him to live with Ann and Frank Ruzzin. There he took a Spanish class where he learned English.
Fast forward to 2022 when Mr. Alvarez called to enquire about the Ruzzin scholarships. Subsequent phone calls indicated he wanted to financially help the Foundation’s scholarship programs to, as he says, “honor the memory of Frank and Ann Ruzzin’s generosity in so warmly hosting me as my American parents.”
$100,000 will be added to the Frank C. Ruzzin Science and Engineering Scholarship and $100,000 to the Ann M. Ruzzin Fine Arts Scholarship to increase their annual award to $5,000. $500,000 will be used to raise the level of the other scholarships administered by the Foundation.
In 1995, 25 donors each donated $1,000 as founders of the Anchor Bay Community Foundation. The group included Ann and Frank Ruzzin. In the following years the Ruzzin scholarships were the first provided for Anchor Bay graduates. Much has changed over the past 25 years. A half-million dollars for scholarships has assisted our local students. For 2022 alone, $51,000 was awarded to graduating high school seniors.
Through the Impetus Foundation, Mr. Alvarez has donated millions of dollars for education. He theorized that supporting education may not change the direction on the whole, but will help in the decision-making process. For the Foundation and for the entire community, this generous donation will enhance educational opportunities for all the years to come.
An article in a recent Voice edition from Dick Ruzzin of Grosse Pointe honored the military service of his father, Frank Ruzzin. We are honored that Carlos Alvarez has placed his trust in us, and we join him in honoring the Ruzzin family, their service to our community, and most especially their early support to the Foundation where today we continue to serve the greater Anchor Bay area through community grants and scholarships.
Rick Thompson, Chairman
Anchor Bay Community Foundation
Letters to the Editor. The Voice. June 8, 2022.
