UM Alumni, Friends Respond to Giving Tuesday

By Tina H. Hahn

University Communications

University of Mississippi alumni and friends took the occasion of Giving Tuesday, the worldwide annual day of giving on Nov. 28, to respond with 190 gifts totaling more than $13,140 for project-based crowdfunding initiatives on Ignite Ole Miss.

The Ignite crowdfunding platform offered several opportunities for individuals to embrace philanthropy. Giving Tuesday gifts helped fund clothing donation bins, summer undergraduate research programs, ROTC cadet training activities, scholarships and more.

“Our alumni and friends followed up their week of Thanksgiving by extending their gratitude to Ole Miss for all it means to their lives,” said Maura Langhart, senior director of annual giving. “The generous gifts we received showed that kindness and charitable investments are a top priority of our university community. Many will benefit from these Giving Tuesday gifts.”

The Ole Miss Fund received the most gifts – 64 – and the resources will be used to address the university’s most pressing needs. This unrestricted support helps ensure the university can attract and retain the best students, faculty and staff and touches every corner of campus life, Langhart said.

Next was the School of Education Teacher and Counselor Education Essentials Kits, which received 28 gifts. The goal of the continuing campaign is $10,000 to provide 280 graduating teachers and counselors with kits of needed classroom supplies as they begin their careers.

Twenty gifts were directed to the Ole Miss Women’s Council campaign for the Jen Lawrence Bordelon Leadership Fund, which pays tribute to the life of a talented university alumna. The late Bordelon was an OMWC Scholar and a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, elected Miss Ole Miss and served as Kappa Delta sorority president.

This fund will provide income for operating the leadership-mentorship aspect of the OMWC Scholarship program.

Started a few weeks ago, the Army ROTC Egg Bowl Run campaign reached its goal through Giving Tuesday, raising $3,000. These resources will enable Ole Miss Army ROTC cadets to participate in training exercises, team-building opportunities and competitions, preparing future officers to excel in the Army and in life.

Here’s what other gifts supported, with the crowdfunding campaigns continuing:

• Re-Rebs Clothing Recycling Program: Re-Rebs, which began in a Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College course, needs resources to provide collection bins in all campus residence halls, giving students easy access to donate clothing to local charities. The day saw the campaign reach $1,595 or 45% of its goal.
• School of Pharmacy Summer Research Program: More UM students will be able to participate in a nine-week Summer Research Experience that prepares them for future careers in biomedicine. The campaign has been 36% funded with $2,390 in gifts.
• The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College’s Koi Society to enrich the education of all Honors College students by supporting experiential learning opportunities.

• Ole Miss Opportunity Scholarship to assist Mississippi residents who could not otherwise afford to attend college.
• Oscar Pope Memorial Scholarship to honor the life and legacy of the late Oscar R. Pope, an alumnus, through a scholarship in the School of Journalism and New Media students.
• Carnesha Nelson Memorial Scholarship to benefit students in the School of Applied Sciences and preserve the memory of the late Carnesha Nelson, an Ole Miss student.

For each gift of $18.48 or more, donors receive a pair of “Gosh Almighty”-themed Ole Miss socks, which proved to be a big hit with Giving Tuesday donors.

All philanthropic contributions to the University of Mississippi Foundation are tax-deductible. To continue giving, visit online at https://ignite.olemiss.edu. For more information, contact Maura Langhart, senior director of annual giving, at ag@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2760.