ABOUT US
John Pence, Carl Strickland and Bruce Lindstrom
The Point Foundation Story
Ten years ago, Bruce Lindstrom had an idea for a different kind of organization— one that would focus on young leaders in the lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender community who wanted go to college, but who may not have the means to do so. It was Bruce’s own experience that led him to want to help these students.
Bruce grew up in a strict evangelical, southern California household. He took a risk on his parents acceptance and “came out” relatively young for his day – a risk that was met with denial and disapproval. For 15 years, Bruce’s family excluded him from all family gatherings, going as far as returning Christmas cards and gifts. Despite a lack of support from his family, and with a strong commitment to academic excellence, Bruce worked his way through college and eventually through graduate school.
As a young entrepreneur in the 1970’s, Bruce realized the importance of mentoring and leadership thanks to a gentleman by the name of Sol Price, the founder of the membership warehouse industry. Under Mr. Price’s mentoring, together with others, they formed what at the time was a little entity called, The Price Club, which eventually merged with Costco, and well…the rest is history.
After a very successful business career, Bruce and his longtime partner, Carl Strickland, wanted to give back to the community. With Bruce’s past as a guide, they formed point Foundation. The three basic principles that had influenced Bruce’s life became the foundation for this new organization: academic excellence, leadership and mentoring.
In forming this fledgling organization, Bruce and Carl turned to a close circle of friends, including one of their closest and most generous friends, John Pence. Without hesitation, John immediately agreed to be a director for the newly formed Point Foundation, and remains today as one of Point’s biggest fundraisers and most generous and influential leaders.
Established in 2001, Point Foundation fully funded its first class of Point Scholars in 2002 with seed capital from Bruce & Carl – a total of eight amazing individuals.
In the intervening years, Point has supported scholars from around the U.S. who are studying at some of the country’s best institutions in a wide range of academic fields. In 2011, as Point celebrated its ten year anniversary, the Foundation supported 71 scholars at their respective colleges or universities, and there were 124 Point Alumni who had earned their higher education degrees and gone on to pursue their life goals.