THE DENNIS AND ANNE BEAVER FOUNDATION

H. DENNIS AND ANNE BEAVER FOUNDATION

1311 “L” Street • Bakersfield, CA 93301
Telephone: (661) 323-7911 • Facsimile: (661) 323-7993


THE DENNIS AND ANNE BEAVER FOUNDATION

The Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation encourages foreign language study at the high school and university level, sending gifted, financially deserving, and highly motivated students to France and to the Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota.

Candidates must complete a minimum of two years of French and possess basic communication skills. Eligible students are in their junior year in high school or university. Once selected, the student(s) are sent on a trip that, in so many cases, has changed the direction of their lives – to France for a month, or a clone thereof with Concordia – and all we ask is a promise to continue their study of French.

LOYOLA LAW SCHOOL

Law students from Loyola University School of Law spend a month at the Cornell Summer Institute of International & Comparative Law in Paris, expenses paid for by the Foundation.

DETAILS

The Foundation sponsors yearly trips. During the summer high school students spend four weeks at the Concordia Language Village in Minnesota for French language study.

We send students from California State Northridge, LA Valley College and the University of Hong Kong to the Alliance Française in Lyon, France, for a month, (living with a French host family) where they participate in an advanced, intensive French language study program.

All expenses are paid for by the Foundation including air fare, housing, educational tuition and pocket money.

HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION

In the beginning of 1997, Attorney Dennis Beaver and his wife, Anne, decided to bring several high school students from Sweden to spend their Easter and Christmas vacation in Bakersfield, California.
Mr. Beaver lectures frequently in Sweden and came into contact with the Swedish upper secondary school system. He was impressed by the exceptional abilities in English by both students and teachers and felt that it would be of great value for the Swedish students to visit a “real American town” and have kids from California meet these students from Sweden.

Thereafter a Charitable Educational Foundation was established, and over the past 10 years close to 300 people have traveled across the Atlantic, their expenses paid for by the Foundation.

CRITERIA/SELECTION PROCESS

Students must be the equivalent of high school or college juniors and possess an exceptional ability in French.

A written essay in the target language is required followed by a screening by their teachers. Other important criteria include the maturity to travel, adult-like social skills and a personality that makes the students a good ambassador for his or her country.

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

We try to find students whose families would find it difficult or simply impossible to send them on such a trip.

HONG KONG CONNECTION

In December 2007, the French Department of Hong Kong University was invited into the program. Three French majors were selected to travel to Lyon, all from financially deserving backgrounds.

Ian Beaver resides in Hong Kong, is fluent in Cantonese and French and is actively involved in Supervision of the Foundation’s pursuits in Asia.

SUMMER FOREIGN LAW STUDENT INTERNSHIPS

During the summer the Foundation facilitates Observational Internships for law students from France and Sweden. They spend one month as a “fly on the wall” in the offices of the Public Defender, District Attorney and Legal Aid.

They are guest of local families.

STATUS AND FINANCES

The Foundation is a Non-Profit under Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS Code. Contributions are tax deductible.

A frequent question asked of contributors, “What is the typical cost per student for one of these trips?” It is from $5,000 to $8,000 USD.

Finally, the message behind much of what we do is the following:

Earning money is important but giving back to your community is equally important. Our Foundation is supported by donations from many ordinary people in the community as well as from businesses.

Donations should be payable to the Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation.