Future Alumni Committee hosts first Cardinals Give to the Max week

By Samantha Borawski
News Section Editor

Photo by Dana Testa

A penny war, an email campaign, a scavenger hunt and a price-tagging competition were events hosted by Future Alumni Committee throughout Nov. 10-14 to mark the first ever philanthropy awareness week for Saint Mary’s University. 

The philanthropy week and events were created to educate students about the importance of giving back, not only to their community but to Saint Mary’s as well.

The week-long penny war raised $123 for Give to the Max Day. An email campaign alerted family and friends about other events including a scavenger hunt on Tuesday, where students had to take pictures of the buildings and spaces on campus that have been named to recognize some of our loyal benefactors, and a price tagging event, where different items around campus had prices on them to help understand the costs of items on campus that we take for granted.

The movie “The Human Experience,” which is in direct relation to the idea of philanthropy, was shown on Wednesday and there was also a volunteer opportunity to show that anyone can give back in ways other than monetary contribution.

Finally, Thursday, Nov. 14 was the Give to the Max Day event in which SMU competed against other non-profit organizations to raise the most money for their organization.

The event, held in the Cardinal Club, promoted Give to the Max Day by showing a live feed of the event on televisions and had an information table to raise awareness for those in attendance.

According to the Institutional Research Fact Book 2012-2013, SMU’s operating budget for all programs, both graduate and undergraduate, is $63 million, but tuition and fees only covers $49 million of that budget.

This is where the Saint Mary’s Fund comes in. For those who do not know, the Saint Mary’s Fund is the university’s main lifeline to fund the daily living and learning that happens in all classrooms, both graduate and undergraduate. Without the Saint Mary’s Fund, the university could not open the doors, turn on the lights, or admit or graduate a single student.

Future Alumni Committee President Kenzie Corrow said, “I hope that Cardinals Give to the Max Week has shown undergraduates why it is so important that after they graduate they ought to give back, to Saint Mary’s as well as other charities or non-profits they are involved with too.”

Conner Ellinghuysen, member of Future Alumni Committee said, “I hope people had fun and have a better understanding about why we should thank donors.”