As the holiday season grows closer, Newman University encourages everyone to participate in the spirit of philanthropy.
While some days are designated for shopping and getting the best deals, such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, there is also a day set aside for the gift of giving.
Giving Tuesday — as explained by Manager of Newman Fund Channing Williams — is “a movement to create an international day of charitable giving; it falls after Thanksgiving on that next Tuesday. It’s a chance to give back right before the Christmas holidays.
“Here at Newman,” Williams continued, “the money that we raise is going to go toward our students’ scholarships. These donations will make it possible for students to come to Newman and eventually earn a degree.”
Beth Fatkin, senior development officer, expanded on why it is vitally important to donate.
“I think what most people don’t understand is that we have a very large population of first-generation college students. A lot of those students are from lower-income families. Without the donors’ support, a lot of these students wouldn’t have the opportunity to get an education.”
She expressed the fact that everyone should have equal opportunity and how donations contribute significantly to granting that opportunity.
“Whenever somebody gives to education, they are literally giving a gift for a lifetime. They’re giving a student an opportunity to get their degree and get a better-paying job. It’s just very important to me that anybody that wants to be educated can be.”
Williams also spoke on the great importance of donations, saying, “Giving will have a lasting effect for those students. With myself being a Newman alumnus, I understand what a donation can do to help out a student’s scholarship. Any gift size makes a difference.”
On the matter of gift size, Fatkin gave more details about Newman’s goal for this year, and how much even the smallest amount can help.
“Our goal is $10,000, so any little bit helps. I think this Giving Tuesday is a wonderful opportunity for new alumni. They can get online and give $5, even $1, because if everybody gave a dollar, we would be able to meet our fundraising goals. People think, ‘Oh my $1, $5, $10 donation doesn’t make an impact,’ but if everyone would do that, it would make a huge impact.”
In order to make donating simple and accessible, a website has been created specifically for Giving Tuesday.
“We rely on our donors,” Williams concluded, “and this is a time for them to give back to their alma mater, and to help out our students here. When they give back, they’re believing in our mission here at Newman, and we really appreciate that.”
