Igniting the World – One Student at a Time

By Pastor Jeff “PJ” Deming, UCA principal &

Linda Klinger, FoundationONE executive director

Upper Columbia Academy and FoundationONE recently determined to raise $15 million to assure long-term sustainability for Upper Columbia Academy (UCA). This unprecedented three-year joint endeavor will empower UCA to reach the highest level of educational excellence, enable UCA to update its aging facilities, and provide a long-term solution to the affordability issue through a strong endowment.

Upper Columbia Academy and its predecessor, Yakima Valley Academy, have been providing teens with a remarkable Christian growth opportunity for more than 100 years.

One young alum expressed it this way: “When I came to UCA, I was at a crossroads. The teen years are a critical period in a child’s life. There is something magical about seeking God with your peers and being guided by teachers/mentors who have a wonderful picture of God. It really is life transforming! As long as this world continues, UCA’s ministry must continue!”

Through the years, UCA has had its share of ups and downs. In 1980, UCA was grappling with huge debt and one board member recalls, “When I first joined the board, at every meeting we talked about how to shut down the school. But then Elder Jere Patzer, board chair, made this suggestion, ‘Let’s take the first few minutes of every board meeting to read the book Education, by Ellen G. White, and pray for our school.’ After that, things began to turn around.”

Since then, UCA has been carefully adhering to the core values of Adventist education and UCA’s ministry has flourished. Average enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year was 270. Besides offering quality academics, UCA offers several vocal, band & string ensembles; basketball, volleyball, golf; horsemanship; farming & gardening; culinary & baking; building & automotive; a vibrant spiritual climate; and an enriching social culture.

“The challenges now facing our Adventist educational system are real and urgent," says Dr. Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health, and “Igniting the World” campaign honorary chair. "So, I have been delighted to see the creativity of Upper Columbia Academy leadership. Their campus programming retains an emphasis on productive work skills, undergirded by the strong spiritual foundation that has always distinguished UCA. We need this proven model of life changing, residential education, together with a robust endowment, to keep our school unique and sustainable. And now the integration of FoundationONE’s successful fundraising combined with backing from the Upper Columbia Conference has brought a permanent solution within reach. I urge you to join Judy and me in bringing the ‘Igniting the World’ dream to reality.”

“Igniting the World” officially began July 1, 2022. To date more than $2.5 million has been raised. For more information about “Igniting the World”, go to www.ignitingtheworlduca.org or call Linda Klinger at (509) 939-1716.