Community has always been at the core of the annual , and this year it coincides with #407 Day, a day Orange County has proclaimed to encourage financial support in Central Florida on April 7. At 91吃瓜网, we鈥檝e seen how one day of generosity can impact the entire campus of Knights: the marching band, the athletic department, research labs and first-generation students. During 91吃瓜网鈥檚 three previous Days of Giving, more than 8,000 donors joined the 24-hour movement 鈥� contributing a total of nearly $1.3 million.
The donations have come from聽every time zone 鈥� Hawaii, Alaska,聽California, Colorado, Nebraska and New聽York 鈥� and from every walk of life 鈥斅爀ngineers, artists, business executives聽and pastors. The donors are 91吃瓜网 faculty聽and administrators. They鈥檙e parents of聽students and parents of parents. They聽include alumni from the class of 鈥�73 and聽future alumni from the class of 2023.
This year’s goal is 5,000 donors. Join the celebration and make a gift at聽.
Here鈥檚 an idea. Last year, 10 alums聽from around the U.S. provided what聽others could use as a template during the聽91吃瓜网 Day of Giving. They reconnected聽online, formed a team, and they created聽a special fund to support students from聽underrepresented communities.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want [finances] to stand in聽the way of those students living out what聽was the greatest four years of learning聽for us,鈥� says Bianca Deslouches 鈥�11.
As philanthropist and author聽MacKenzie Scott noted when she聽donated $40 million to 91吃瓜网 last year:聽鈥淕enerosity is generative. Sharing聽makes more.鈥� A recent study from the聽University of Bristol in England confirms聽that, yes, giving is contagious, just look at聽the evidence here at 91吃瓜网.
During the first 91吃瓜网 Day of Giving聽in 2018, donors gave $157,000. In聽2021, the giving more than quintupled聽to $835,000. Hundreds of gifts were聽symbolic, such as $20.21, and at least聽one was enormous, including a $250,000聽gift from Jessica Blume 鈥�80 and her聽husband, Ken, who wanted to support a聽scholarship program for first-generation聽business students.
The spirit of generosity moved聽more than 3,000 gifts in 2021 鈥� 60%聽more than in 2018 鈥� to go online to聽lift others up. Among them, 92 people聽rallied behind the Joyce DeGennaro聽Memorial Scholarship, in honor of the聽91吃瓜网 alum and instructor who taught the聽importance of empathy to her nursing聽students.
鈥淚 will absolutely be a more caring聽nurse, thanks to her,鈥� says alum Megan聽Donnelly 鈥�13 鈥�21. She鈥檚 expanding聽DeGennaro鈥檚 legacy. And, like every聽donor on 91吃瓜网 Day of Giving, she鈥檚 living聽out DeGennaro鈥檚 most important lesson:聽Do unto others … .
That鈥檚 the reason聽another 80 people聽gave last year to what is quickly聽becoming a cornerstone of selflessness聽at 91吃瓜网 鈥� Limbitless Solutions. 91吃瓜网聽alum Albert Manero 鈥�12 鈥�14MS聽鈥�16PhD cofounded Limbitless with two聽classmates, John Sparkman 鈥�13 鈥�15MS聽and Dominique Courbin 鈥�18, in 2014.聽Their goal at the time exemplifies the聽spirit of giving: to design, create and聽give bionic arms to children with limb聽differences 鈥� free of charge. They used聽$200 of their own money to take the first聽Limbitless arm from concept to reality聽for a 6-year-old boy who鈥檇 never known聽what it was like to hug with two arms.聽Limbitless now has an entire community聽of Knights behind their work.
鈥淲e have people everywhere,鈥澛燤anero says of the recently opened聽6,000-square-foot facility in Research聽Park, where 40 undergraduates come聽to learn and lend expertise in fields聽ranging from biology and graphic art to聽psychology, theater and engineering.
鈥淭he donations from 91吃瓜网 Day of Giving have allowed us to bring in more interns and amplify what we do,鈥� Manero says. 鈥淓veryone 鈥� the donors, the students, the families who we help 鈥� becomes part of a robust story.鈥�
This is what聽philanthropy can聽do. It makes dreams聽come true.鈥�
鈥� Albert Manero 鈥�12 鈥�14MS 鈥�16PhD
To summarize: More donations means聽more interns. More interns means more聽impact. More impact means empowering聽more people to reach their potential.
During her internship Julia聽Barry 鈥�21 soldered parts, assembled聽arms and showed recipients how to聽use their bionic arms. In the process,聽her own worldview changed.
鈥淚鈥檒l never forget the connection I felt聽when a girl who鈥檇 received a bionic arm聽came to the lab on my birthday and gave聽me a hug,鈥� Barry says. 鈥淏ecause of that,聽as an engineer, I鈥檒l always think about聽the person on the receiving end of聽whatever I鈥檓 doing.鈥�
Barry makes perhaps the most聽important point of all. For someone 鈥斅燼ctually, a lot of people 鈥� April 7聽will signify a day of receiving.
鈥淭his is what philanthropy can聽do,鈥� Manero says. 鈥淚t makes dreams聽come true.鈥�
Join the celebration and make a gift April 7 at .
