In January 2012, the George Shinn Foundation made a $100,000 donation to Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Today, Fruitland is making great use of that donation and has accomplished many things they never imagined would be possible.
One of the main purposes of the donation was to help with accreditation expenses, and Fruitland has taken the first step on that journey. The staff attended a Pre-Application and Institutional Effectiveness Seminar hosted by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and is now working with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina regarding the next steps in the process.
Fruitland also used the donation to help retire some of the school’s debt, which was $930,000 at the time. As of April 2013, the debt has been reduced to $857,000 and a new debt retirement campaign called “One in a Million” has been initiated. The goal of this campaign is to secure $1,000 from 1,000 churches and/or individuals with the hopes of eliminating all debt by the end of 2014.
In addition, Fruitland has been able to purchase new computers for its computer lab, increase marketing efforts to attract new students, and obtain video equipment that enabled the school to offer its first online and Internet-enhanced courses.
“We really appreciate what the George Shinn Foundation has done to help us at Fruitland,” said Dr. David Horton, President of Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute. “Your generous gift helped us to do some things that would have been impossible without your help.”
Watch as Fruitland’s president, Dr. David Horton, discusses the history and purpose of the school. Just click on the picture of Dr. Horton above to launch the video.