2023 Colby-Sawyer Community Award Presented to Adventures in Learning

The 2023 Colby-Sawyer Community Award was presented to Adventures in Learning, an organization that provides educational opportunities to adult learners in the community. This is the second time the organization has been recognized by the college for enriching the lives of area residents and contributing to the bond between the local community and the college.

Colby-Sawyer College has selected Adventures in Learning (AIL) as the recipient of the 2023 Community Award in recognition of its 25-year partnership with the college, as well as the vital role the organization plays in enhancing the intellectual lives of area residents and strengthening the bond between the college and the town of New London.

The Community Award, formerly the Town Award, is presented annually to an area resident or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary involvement in, and made noteworthy contributions to, Colby-Sawyer. The organization first won the award in 2014.

“For 25 years, Adventures in Learning has provided enriching learning opportunities for the region’s residents,” Colby-Sawyer College President Susan D. Stuebner said. “Colby-Sawyer is proud to have been a partner with AIL for over 20 years. The college and AIL share a commitment to lifelong learning. I thank the AIL board members, the course leaders and all of the organization’s members for contributing to the community and the college.”

Additionally, as an element of the strong partnership between Colby-Sawyer and AIL, each year the AIL board presents the college with a gift. Over the past 25 years, AIL has donated more than $340,000 to Colby-Sawyer. These gifts have supported the Colby-Sawyer Fund and a portion of these funds endowed the Adventures in Learning Merit Award Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to a deserving Colby-Sawyer student each year.

“It is a very special honor to have Adventures in Learning receive Colby-Sawyer College's 2023 Community Award,” AIL President Katrina Wagner said. “It is especially meaningful because this year marks the 25th anniversary of AIL offering an extensive variety of lifelong learning courses and social connections for adults in the Kearsarge-Sunapee region. Colby-Sawyer's caring partnership and ongoing support have provided vital keys to our success, and we look forward to many more years of happy collaboration.”

Adventures in Learning was founded in 1998 with the goal of providing lifelong learning experiences for adults who are interested in fostering their own intellectual growth and engaging with the world of ideas in an informal setting.

Initially offering five courses to an inaugural cohort of 118 adult learners, AIL has since offered more than 700 unique courses taught by 313 different instructors. This year is the program’s 25th anniversary, and it will feature several course reprises, a Community Spotlight series, special lectures, field trips and gallery events.

AIL’s summer course offerings for 2023 included classes in drawing, storytelling, hiking and film. Recent offerings include courses in poetry, bonsai, digital photography and the history of fly tying in New Hampshire.

"Adventures in Learning (AIL) is pleased and honored to be named the recipient of Colby-Sawyer's 2023 Community Service Award,” Harry Tether, AIL’s most recent former president, said. “As the Kearsarge-Lake Sunapee lifelong learning institution, AIL is celebrating a 25-year collaborative relationship with the college. AIL offers stimulating classes and social engagement to the regions' adults. We hope to continue offering lifelong learning opportunities together with CSC well into the future."

The award was presented Aug. 22 at the end-of-summer community celebration hosted at the President’s House across from the Colby-Sawyer College campus.