The Rev. Alison Etter Memorial Fund

 

The Rev. Alison Etter, part of AST’s community of alumni, was a beautiful person who radiated love.  She showed great spirit, wisdom, creativity, and compassion in her ministry and in her life. She was a builder of communities, a reformer of systems, a lifelong learner, and a pilgrim. Alison was a person of deep solidarity and a loyal friend.

Alison died on Valentine’s Day, 2024, after an illness of three months. She was just 41.

The Rev. Alison Etter Memorial Fund was established by Alison’s family at AST. It has grown thanks to the generosity of friends, organizations, and people who have been impacted by Alison.

The Fund is carrying on Alison’s legacy.

The Fund is intended to directly support AST alumni (graduates of any degree, diploma, or certificate program), lay or ordained, of any denomination or spiritual tradition. It is a perpetual fund that will make annual grants from returns on ethical investments.


A photo of Alydia Smith making grant announcement

The Rev. Alydia Smith (AST MDiv 2011) made the announcement on behalf of the Rev. Alison Etter Memorial Fund Committee at an alumni gathering on May 8, 2025.


We are very pleased to announce the first alumni project-grant recipients from the Rev. Alison Etter Memorial Fund!

Congratulations to the first alumni project-grant recipients from AST's Rev. Alison Etter Memorial Fund! Congratulations to alumni applicants Joel Aguirre, Rick Gunn, Emma Seamone, Dianne Kempt, Dana Feltmate, and Catherine Stuart! The theme for 2025 was "Music for Change." The seed funding will help launch projects to make music lessons accessible to a community; a pilot project to recycle old church pianos with moving, tuning, and lessons for community benefit; a concert to showcase talent from diverse communities; a project to compose and record a jubilee-year song on global debt relief; an anniversary outreach ceilidh with a Gaelic language element; and a project to develop and publish a ukulele music/hymn book for intentional communities of faith. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who has made donations in Alison's memory to build up the Fund. Donations are still being gratefully accepted. And thank you to everyone who has purchased the "You Are Loved" children's book in support of the Alison Fund!