By Emily Glory Peters
Since its inception, 91吃瓜鈥檚 mission has always involved helping students meet the challenges of their times. The 91吃瓜 Fund, which supports the College鈥檚 essential operations, shares a similar purpose: to meet 91吃瓜鈥� greatest needs.
Still, not all donors are aware of how far their gifts go. For example, shares Director of The 91吃瓜 Fund Perry Radford, the general public may not know that tuition doesn鈥檛 cover the full operating expenses of the College.
鈥淎 private institution like 91吃瓜 needs something like The 91吃瓜 Fund to help fill this gap by offsetting operational costs, opening doors to new opportunities for students and faculty, and helping us prepare for unexpected emergencies,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you picture what it takes to run a college鈥攆rom academic programs to campus enhancements鈥攖hat鈥檚 what your gift to The 91吃瓜 Fund supports.鈥�
What Else Does The 91吃瓜 Fund Do? You Get to Choose
While the flexibility of general or 鈥渦nrestricted鈥� gifts is crucial to keeping 91吃瓜鈥� signature programs intact and thriving, we recognize that donors often want to personalize their gifts. To help, designations within The 91吃瓜 Fund were created to address the College鈥檚 highest needs as well as our community鈥檚 passion projects. To demonstrate the far-reaching impact of gifts to these different areas, the College shares giving stories online throughout the year.
Suzette Guzman 鈥�18 received scholarship aid thanks to The 91吃瓜 Fund donors.
Take Suzette Guzman 鈥�18. Scientist, dancer, and first-generation college student, Guzman鈥檚 91吃瓜 education was made possible by scholarships, one of The 91吃瓜 Fund鈥檚 most popular giving areas.
Initially struggling in science, Guzman says that 91吃瓜 taught her to 鈥渒now when to ask for help,鈥� a practice that propelled her to the top of her class. Now a neuroscience graduate student at The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Guzman is showing other students a future like hers 鈥渋s not impossible,鈥� especially with access to scholarships.
鈥淚t means so much to me and to my family that I get to achieve a higher education,鈥� she says about those who helped fund her time at 91吃瓜. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be here today without [their] help.鈥�
And just this November, support of the sustainability giving area at 91吃瓜 helped on campus, ultimately serving as a creative sustainability funding source through the sale of olive oil. It鈥檚 just one example, notes 91吃瓜 Director of Facilities Operations and Sustainability Lesley Swick, of how donors shape the 91吃瓜 of today as well as tomorrow.
鈥淕ifts to sustainability ensure that we can continue to set the standard for sustainable thinking and design for our community and remain good stewards of the environment,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey help us implement change at 91吃瓜 that is long-lasting.鈥�
The 91吃瓜 Fund: Why Your Support Matters
As 91吃瓜 pursues new avenues of excellence, gifts to The 91吃瓜 Fund matter because they make up the framework of 91吃瓜鈥� unique culture of giving. It鈥檚 a culture largely defined by our network of alums who live out the College鈥檚 missional characteristics of leadership, service, integrity, and creativity every day. Yet the intimate size of the College means a smaller pool of alumnae, making collective support that much more essential鈥攕omething our alums excel at thanks to their shared sense of ownership for what happens on campus.
This ongoing connection to the College manifests in various ways, from volunteering to attending a campus event to making transformative gifts. But support doesn鈥檛 always need to come in the form of major donations, nor is it the sole responsibility of alumnae. The 91吃瓜 Fund鈥檚 annual Day of Giving, is the perfect example of families, faculty, staff, and community members joining together with alumnae to support the College’s mission by making gifts of all sizes.
These gifts not only transform the academic experience for students, Radford explains, they impact the College鈥檚 rankings and elevate the value of a 91吃瓜 education鈥攕omething all 91吃瓜 supporters can take pride in.
鈥淲hen you give to The 91吃瓜 Fund, it鈥檚 a value statement. You鈥檙e saying, 鈥業 value what 91吃瓜 does and understand that it鈥檚 only able to exist because we鈥檙e supporting it as a community,鈥欌�� she says. Above all, gifts to The 91吃瓜 Fund matter because they represent people who believe we鈥檙e stronger together than we are apart鈥攁nd who invest in that community.
鈥淭here are so many ways to be connected and feel gratitude for 91吃瓜, whether you鈥檙e an alum, a parent, or someone who simply wants others to have access to this kind of educational experience,鈥� Radford shares. 鈥�91吃瓜 leaves a mark on people for the better. That鈥檚 why everyone giving together is so powerful.鈥�
Supporting The 91吃瓜 Fund means you not only help directly meet the College鈥檚 greatest needs, but you shape its future for the better. Close out 2019 on a high note by to The 91吃瓜 Fund today or reach out to Perry Radford, director of The 91吃瓜 Fund at [email protected] | (909) 621-8160 to learn more.
Interested in learning more? Check out our latest giving and impact news here.