It’s a common concern among parents and college-bound students: Will students successfully manage the responsibilities and challenges they face when living away from home for the first time? Will the healthy habits they have acquired withstand the stressors that are sure to arise?
Richard Leto ’73 and his wife, Bonnie, first became aware of the prevalence of eating disorders when their daughters were undergraduates at universities in Florida and North Carolina. “As we researched it and learned more, we saw that many more people than you want to image are affected by this,” explains Richard.
The Letos felt this was a health issue that needed to be elevated in importance and considered what campus programs could be developed to address it. Believing that a positive, preventative approach to health and nutrition can make a real difference for vulnerable students, they made a $200,000 gift to Bryant University to establish the Richard and Bonnie Leto Nutrition and Health Education Endowed Fund.
An additional gift of $25,000 ensures that the initiative will begin immediately. A part-time health and nutrition educator will begin overseeing a range of holistic educational and awareness programs beginning in the fall 2017 semester. The goal is to create and sustain an environment at Bryant that promotes healthy lifestyles in which students maintain a wise and balanced relationship with food.
The Letos’ gifts were made in support of Expanding the World of Opportunity: The Campaign for Bryant’s Bold Future.They worked thoughtfully with Bryant leaders, including John R. Saddlemire, Ed.D., Bryant’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, to develop a meaningful initiative that would complement the student-centered objectives of the campaign.