The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is known as Giving Tuesday, a day that encourages people to not only give financially, but to also through acts of kindness or volunteering. Stacey Rucker, Assistant Manager of Alumni Engagement at Sandburg, shares the many ways individuals can be involved:
“We always say ‘support your passion.’ So, they can support athletics, our resource room, which is our food pantry on campus. They can support capital campaigns, financial aid, scholarships; there are a lot of different areas. We always just say to support your passion, so what you have a passion about, we ask that you give to that area and help make an impact, support student success.”
With a goal of $350,000 for 2025, Eric Johnson, Chief Advancement Officer at Sandburg, shares how received funds supported students and staff this past year:
“This past year, we awarded over $320,000 in scholarships. In success grants we awarded $52,000. Examples of success grants, which are awards to support students like ‘When Life Happens,’ which is kind of for emergencies, when things happen, they don’t expect. We have a nursing success grant. We also have a dental hygiene success grant and those are $500 grants that go to students to use on course supplies, textbooks, transportation, daycare; whatever it may be. We also have success grants thanks to the support from the Mellinger Foundation, where we awarded funding for students in manufacturing, automotive, and welding. One of the big donations we used at the Carthage branch, we renovated their new science lab. A lot of our support impacts students, but we also make a big impact for our faculty and staff.”
Giving Tuesday is Tuesday, December 2nd.
