By Allie DeGrazio
Correspondent
“What a Difference a Day Can Make.” This was the phrase that read across the backs of many students, faculty and alumni who participated in the College’s fourth annual Day of Giving on Thursday, Nov. 1.
The Day of Giving, as described on the College’s official Instagram page, is a “24-hour period of generosity that can help fund more of what makes TCNJ so great.”
The goal of the event, which took place in the Brower Student Center, was to unite alumni, faculty and students to help raise money for different programs at the College.
The event was an opportunity for students to both give back and have fun. Roscoe the Lion was in attendance taking pictures, giving hugs and dancing to the music.
One of the donation booths raised money for Lions Fighting Lions, a program that provides financial support for students who have been met with unexpected hardships and may not be able to meet their college expenses.
Rebecca Goetz, the College’s design specialist, volunteers for the Day of Giving every year.
“(The event) raises awareness for the students about giving, and the number of people that give is more important than the amount that is given,” she said.
Along with the donation booths, there was a table set up with snacks, a photo booth with fun props and a scrapbooking station. At the scrapbooking station, students were able to take a picture with a Polaroid camera and paste it to a scrapbook for President Foster with a note that welcomed her to the campus community.
“I think the best part of the Day of Giving has to be the freebees they give away,” said Brooke Chlebowski, a senior special education and iSTEM double major and the president of Student Government. “It’s good to know that when you’re giving back, it’s being appreciated.”
The Day of Giving also featured a prize wheel. If students donated $5 to the program of their choice, they were able to spin the wheel and win a prize, which included collegiate apparel and accessories.
Foundation Board Director Terri Martinac (’72 and ’73) said that interactions with students are what makes Day of Giving so memorable. Every year, Martinac aims for a certain amount of young donors to give back to the College.
“Talking to the students is the best part about this event,” she said. “This raises awareness of the importance of giving back to the school as alumni or as a current student.”
The Day of Giving helps raise awareness toward programs while allowing students to vocalize what initiatives they believe should be funded. Carly Mauro, a senior statistics major, participated in the event to raise funds for the Class of 2019’s senior gift.
“We unveiled our gift this morning,” she said. “We’re looking into putting a bench swing on campus. It would be such a good place to relax. We’re also donating money to the Office of Health and Wellness. We want to focus on mental health.”
The donations for this year’s Day of Giving totaled $300,000, from nearly 2,000 donors. The College exceeded its goals for this event and hopes to make this a common theme in years to come.
