$1M gift to BC3 honors memory of Amy Wise
BUTLER TWP — John L. Wise III, the vice president and treasurer of the Butler Eagle, and his family have given a $1 million gift to Butler County Community College in memory of his sister, Amy Wise, who died in November 2014.
The gift was made to the Pioneer Proud Campaign. It was announced at the college's board of trustees meeting Wednesday.
Wise said the donation was sparked when he was told the college intended to renovate the space on campus dedicated to preschool children. Amy Wise was a preschool teacher.
“We just think it's an appropriate way to honor Amy because she was so interested in young children,” Wise said. “She was interested in young children pretty much all of her adult life.”
Amy Wise had a lifelong passion for early childhood education and developing a love of nature in young students. From 1994 to 2012, she was the head teacher at Poker Hill School in Underhill, Vt. Her teaching experience also included the Community College of Vermont and Trinity College. In 2006, Amy was awarded the Vermont Governor's Award for Outstanding Community Service.
The private gift will be matched by a capital grant from the state, and the roughly $2 million will fund an expansion of the Children's Creative Learning Center on the main campus.
The learning center, which will be named in memory of Amy Wise, is a preschool and child care center for children of BC3 students, employees and community members that doubles as a resource for the nursing and early childhood education programs on campus.
The expansion is expected to double the size of the current center, according to a press release.
“We are honored that the Wise family has chosen BC3 to pay tribute to Amy (Wise),” said President Nick Neupauer. “We believe that our child care program reflects the values that Amy held dear — that children learn best when allowed to explore and discover at their own pace. This is a wonderful legacy gift.”John L. Wise III's father, the late John L. Wise Jr., was a leading advocate of establishing a community college in Butler and served on the original BC3 board of trustees.
