#givingCMUday 2019 — 1,164,487 reasons to celebrate
The generosity of the CMU community makes possible a record-breaking #givingCMUday
By Sarah Burke
On December 3, the Carnegie Mellon community joined together for the most successful day of giving in university history — #givingCMUday 2019.
A record-breaking 4,995 donors gave $1,164,487 to support the CMU programs they love — colleges, schools, teams, student organizations, scholarships, fellowships, research and so much more.
“Giving Tuesday is important to me because it rallies our community behind a single goal — making the Carnegie Mellon experience as life-changing as possible,” says Bethany Bauer, a CMU junior.
It started with 350 students celebrating #givingCMUday’s midnight kickoff at Plaid Palooza with food, prizes, giveaways and an exclusive Instagram challenge.
The excitement continued throughout the day with campus events and 20 different matches and challenges for alumni, parents, friends, faculty and staff, students, athletes, colleges, schools and the entire CMU community.
CMU alumni around the world joined together to make their gifts, with a total of $125,000 in matching funds available to support their favorite areas of CMU.
Bethany, who was selected as a Facebook event challenge recipient, chose to direct the $500 award to her student organization, CMU’s Apex Buggy team.
“Apex combines building lifelong friendships with learning new skills and applying my in-classroom education in a tangible way,” she says. “Buggy is one of the things that makes CMU unique, and I know Apex will put the funding to good use.”
Bethany’s organization was one of hundreds of CMU funds to benefit from generous support on #givingCMUday.
CMU alumna Ashley Godisart (CMU 2010) directed her $100 Instagram challenge award to support Camp Kesem Carnegie Mellon.
“I chose Camp Kesem because it was a chance to empower students who are making a big difference in the greater community of western Pennsylvania,” she says. “These students work incredibly hard to create a life-changing experience for kids undergoing big challenges.”
Janel Sutkus, CMU’s director of institutional research and analysis, was selected as another challenge recipient for her Instagram post on #givingCMUday. She chose the Michael Murphy Endowed Fund for the CMU Experience to receive the $100 award.
“I chose the Mike Murphy Fund to honor a man who positively affected countless students’ lives, as well as my own,” Janel says of the former CMU vice president for campus affairs. “#givingCMUday is important to me because I had an amazing college experience, and I want our students to have the same.”
To learn more about this record-breaking day, visit cmu.edu/givingCMUday. You can still make a difference for CMU’s students, faculty and staff.
