Aggies give back during annual ‘A Day of Giving’ event
*Numbers have been updated as of Oct. 31.
For three years, Aggies both past and present come together for a Utah State University event known as A Day of Giving.
Students, alumni and friends of the university dedicated 24 hours on Oct. 21 to support scholarships and organizations from every campus, college and program at USU.
Each year the focus of the day is different, depending on the needs of the students.
Last year, gifts went towards supporting students who had been financially affected by the pandemic. This year, donations went towards the “First To… Scholarship,” a scholarship by Aggies, for Aggies.
According to the USU Advancement Service’s website, the scholarship lets the senior class donate money to the underclassmen who are the first to do something, whether they are the first in their family to go to college, the first business major in their family, or the first to be an Aggie.
“I have an academic scholarship,” said USU student Ester Atkinson, “so it’s really helpful because my parents aren’t paying for my college and it means I have less tuition to pay.”
Becca Lau, a member of the USU A-Team who helped run A Day of Giving, said that she thinks it’s a great opportunity for students to make a difference.
“Pioneering those new ideas — I think is really cool, and it’s pushing the idea that you can do something,” Lau said. “I think it’s just cool that it’s for students and by students.”
Besides the First To… Scholarship, which was the main focus of the day, participants could also donate to the college of their choice.
Even organizations which do not fall under a specific college including the Student Nutrition Access Center, USU Libraries and the Office of Global Engagement, fundraised for the coming year.
This is the third year USU held A Day of Giving and Jonathan Young has been in charge since the beginning.
“We’re fundraising for a good cause, like this year with student scholarships,” Young said. “And me, attending Utah State and USU Eastern — I received scholarships while I was at school. So, it’s very beneficial to me to be able to help other people give back, like I get to give back.”
Young is very proud of the growth that the event has seen since its inception. This year they raised more than they ever have before. They raised $304,342.95, along with 817 gifts.
“I had a donor count set in my mind of what I wanted, because I don’t like to focus on the dollars, Young said. “When we’re fundraising, we’re raising money for an individual, for a student, for a cause. My goal was to be able to generate enough funds that would benefit students and I think we did that.”
Young said he is excited to continue growing A Day of Giving and being able to give back to his university.
“The goals for next year are to share more about the impact that a donor can have on the life of a student,” he said.
Although it won’t count towards the official total for A Day of Giving, anyone who would like to is still able to donate to the program of their choice at the website https://www.usu.edu/adayofgiving/index.
-Maggie.Erekson@usu.edu