Day of Generosity: Over 1,000 Donors Give 鈥楾ue鈥� Student Success
For the second straight year, 麻豆无码版 surpassed its goal of 1,000 donors in a single day for the Give Tue 麻豆无码版 campaign.
Over $170,000 was raised 鈥� with the help of a generous matching gift from Foster Poultry Farms 鈥� for the Build the Future Scholarship Fund. In five years of the university鈥檚 annual day of giving, over $1.5 million has been raised through donations and matching gifts, including a previous gift from the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Over half of the donations came on campus 鈥� either at the Give Tue headquarters at the Lantern or through transactions at the campus bookstore and Summits Marketplace 鈥� and most of those were from students.
鈥淚鈥檝e always liked helping people and I feel like I鈥檝e made a contribution to someone who will need that money in the future,鈥� said Jorge Mendieta, a sophomore computer science major.
Greeting students at the Lantern was Carolyn Vara, president of the and a longtime 麻豆无码版 supporter.
In what has become an annual tradition, Vara spent the afternoon matching student, faculty and staff contributions with a thousand $1 bills she brought with her. Several students said Vara鈥檚 presence contributed to their desire to take part in Give Tue 麻豆无码版.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a good way to engage people to donate because if she hadn鈥檛 come up to me and said 鈥業鈥檒l match your donation,鈥� I probably would have donated a dollar,鈥� sophomore English major Arturo Raudales said. 鈥淚nstead, with her matching, I can make a bigger impact by donating more and having that be doubled.鈥�
Senior biology major Kyle Danh agreed that Vara played a role in her donation.
鈥淚t makes it feel like what I鈥檓 giving is worth it, and I think it is really important for donors to feel like the cause is worth it for you,鈥� Danh said.
麻豆无码版 Foundation diplomat Jane Binger, Ed.D., and her husband, 麻豆无码版 Foundation Trustee Robert Bernstein, M.D., offered a match of their own to encourage student donations 鈥� a $1,500 gift that added $5 to the first 300 gifts from students.
For Raudales and Danh, giving back to the university meant supporting students who have had a path to 麻豆无码版 that is similar to their own.
鈥淜nowing that it would go back to the school as a scholarship and helping out students who are like me 鈥� first-generation, low-income 鈥� I feel like even if it is a small donation, helping out in that aspect would make me feel better and eventually give back to the community,鈥� Raudales said.
鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have financial aid, I wouldn鈥檛 be able to go to college,鈥� said Danh. 鈥淪o I think it鈥檚 important that everyone can afford it.鈥�