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It didn’t take long for Charles and Nel Ellwein, P’24, to fall in love with the University of Richmond through the experience of their daughter, Alexa, ’24.

“She had a great first year,” Nel said. “We became really excited ... and began to learn how we could best offer support.”

In 2022, the couple established the Ellwein Family Fund, which provides long-term support for programs and activities that further student well-being and belonging, specifically for first-generation and/or limited-income (FLI) students.

“We want these students to feel comfortable and supported so they have just as great of an experience as Alexa had,” Nel said.

The Ellwein Family Fund provides support to the Spiders FLI program, which offers networking opportunities, mentorship, leadership experiences, and community-building events.

Sam Ghali, ’24, said Spiders FLI gave him the confidence to pursue a prestigious internship in mental health research at the University of Oxford.

“My most significant accomplishment [at UR] was finding a family like no other in the Spiders FLI program,” he said. “At its core, FLI is about mutual affirmation. The FLI community is [one of] the hardest working on campus. Many of us have accomplished remarkable things and continue to do so. We often stumble, and anxiety floods in, but there’s always a family to lift us up again.”