FAQs

The Bonner Leader application opens each year in October and interviews begin in mid-March.

If you are accepted into the Bonner Leader Program, you must attend SOAR on Friday, June 24, and the First-year Bonner Orientation session. This is part of the Dive Into The Hive Early Engagement Opportunities program.

Bonner Leaders have been transformed by the personal and professional growth that comes from doing service.

Participants in the Bonner Program become part of a community that supports each other on campus and off.

The National Bonner Foundation is a group for all Bonner Leaders alumni from across the country. Bonners quickly find their community extends beyond the University of Lynchburg. They go out to look for summer internships and professional positions after graduation and find Bonner alumni there to help.

Bonner Leaders are committed to learning about social justice issues and becoming agents of change in their communities. If you are passionate about making a difference in your community, then Bonner is for you.

Bonner Scholar and Leader Programs across the nation have the goal of giving access to education and the opportunity to serve.

The Bonner Leader Program uses part of the student’s financial aid package to help them pay for college by working in the community. Bonners are given a four-year stipend by the Federal Work-Study Community Service program and work for 10 hours every week.

We want at least 75% of participating students to qualify for Federal Work-Study.

To get a Federal Work-Study award, you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. You must also show financial need and be enrolled or accepted at the University of Lynchburg. Acceptance to the Bonner program doesn’t affect your eligibility for Federal Work-Study. The University wants most work-study-eligible students in the Bonner Program, but there are exceptions.

We want at least 75% of participating students to qualify for Federal Work-Study. Although, other sources of money are available. These provide stipends for students who may not qualify for Federal Work-Study funds.

300 hours of community service per academic year with an average of 8-10 hours per week and two hour-long weekly meetings.

Our weekly Bonner meetings help us connect and support each other. In these meetings, we develop leadership skills and learn more about the program. We also get to know our community better. Participation in these meetings will give you opportunities to develop new skills using the developmental model.

Bonner Leaders focus on the following issues within our community:

• Housing insecurity
• Food insecurity
• Access to health care
• Education
• Environment and sustainability
• Special populations
• Policy and advocacy

The developmental model aims to move Bonners along a trajectory from direct service to a capacity-building or a social action capstone project during their four years as a student at the University of Lynchburg.

Being a Bonner and an athlete or nursing major is possible. We have had many nursing students and some athletes succeed in the program. We strive to accommodate their needs about their academics first and their commitment to athletics or nursing all while being a Bonner.