W&J’s Class of 2018 embraced the philanthropic spirit this spring by selecting the Give It Forward Together (GIFT) Scholarship Fund as the designation for this year’s senior gift campaign.
The GIFT Fund was created at W&J in 2009, during a global economic downturn, to support students who find themselves unable to pay tuition or other related college costs due to unforeseen financial difficulties.
A few common situations for W&J students who received GIFT Fund assistance include a parent suddenly passing away; a parent diagnosed with a debilitating disease (such as cancer) or other degenerative illness; a parent suddenly furloughed; or families that suffered excessive damage to their homes and financial distress due to natural disasters such as fires, hurricanes, and flooding.
The GIFT Fund has been utilized more than 200 times since its inception. During the Class of 2018’s time on campus, more than 40 students benefitted from the fund.
Knowing the impact of the fund on their classmates during the last four years, the Class of 2018 stepped up to help their fellow students as well as future Presidents. The 62 percent of new graduates who made gifts to the campaign marked W&J’s highest senior class gift participation level in recent years.
Thanks to the generosity of Trustees and other alumni who agreed to match the senior gifts, more than $17,300 was raised to benefit the GIFT Fund.
For more information on the GIFT Fund, please contact a member of W&J’s Development & Alumni Relations team. A staff directory is available at jayconnected.com.
