Giving Tuesday gives students a voice

Faculty, staff and students showed support for Rise. Shine. The Campaign for Wright State University during the third annual Giving Tuesday event. (Photos by Erin Pence)

Faculty, staff and students showed their support for Rise. Shine. The Campaign for Wright State University by donating toward scholarships or by thanking donors during the university’s third annual Giving Tuesday event Dec. 1.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving driven through social media channels by nonprofits, companies and individuals. The coordinated day of giving began in 2012 on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

“Our goal, with respect to student giving, is to increase student knowledge of philanthropy while incorporating education about why Wright State raises funds for scholarships as well as promoting opportunity for students to give thanks to those who have impacted their experience at Wright State,” said Amy Jones, director of annual giving.

This year’s Giving Tuesday event raised $7,800, $300 over the goal and more than last year’s collection of $5,000.

Many students wrote thank-you notes to alumni and friends who have supported Wright State student scholarships.

The Rise.Shine campaign seeks to raise financial support for scholarships, undergraduate research, experiential learning, endowed professorships and facilities.

Many students wrote thank-you notes to alumni and friends who have supported Wright State’s scholarships.

Participants had an opportunity to enter a money machine with $1,000 in the form of Raider Bucks provided by the Office of Student Affairs. The Raider Bucks were designated into real dollars and donated to one of four priority funds: the Friendship Food Pantry, the Rise.Shine. scholarship, the Graduation Fund or the Lillie P. Howard student need-based fund. Students could also choose to designate to any one of the more than 1,600 Wright State Foundation funds.

“I have a bunch of friends who are struggling and this allows me to be able to donate to try to help them out,” said Annalise Donavan, a Wright State freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering who donated to the Rise. Shine. scholarship.

For fifth-year student Jessica Bartson, who works in the Office of Annual Giving, needing scholarships was something she related to.

“I want students to have the same opportunity as I did,” she said.

So far, approximately $123 million has been raised during the Rise. Shine. campaign, which ends in 2016. More than 320 scholarships have been created.

“Many students on the Wright State campus would not have the opportunity to earn a Wright State education without scholarship dollars donated by thousands of dedicated alumni, friends and community partners,” Jones said. “We wanted to take a moment to let students thank them for their contributions and allow students, in turn, to share in the spirit of philanthropy by giving back themselves.”

For Richard Gesin Jr., a freshman majoring in computer engineering, receiving a Board of Trustees scholarship has enabled him to attend college altogether.

“Thank you to everyone who has helped me to and through college,” he said.