On Tuesday, December 1, 2015, MSU used Crowdpower to participate in Giving Tuesday, a global day of philanthropy that encourages and celebrates charitable giving.
The cause? The Emergency Assistance Scholarship fund, which provides emergency financial support to students if an unforeseen financial hardship threatens their ability to continue their education.
When Lisa Parker (’95, Natural Science), an alumna and MSU Alumni Association employee, heard the fund was running low, she immediately sprang into action, making a $10,000 challenge gift that matched every dollar raised on Giving Tuesday, up to $10,000.
She was inspired to act because the fund supports a cause that hits close to home. As a student in the mid-1990s, Lisa worked three jobs to cover her expenses and thought, at times, that even that wouldn’t be enough. A fund like the Emergency Assistance Scholarship would’ve been there to help her if she’d needed it.
“It is a lifeline for our most vulnerable students, who find themselves unable to cover tuition costs due to unforeseen circumstances like the death of a parent, loss of a job, illness and loss of a home,” she says. “It was critical that the fund be replenished.”
And now, it’ll be there for other students. In addition to Lisa’s challenge gift, more than 250 donors—many of whom were faculty and staff—gave nearly $13,500 to the fund on Giving Tuesday.
“In addition to being overwhelmed by the response to the challenge, what I gained from the experience was the realization that Spartans will unite to solve a problem when they know one exists and understand how they can help,” Lisa says.