Goal: Rally 2,800 to Support Scholarships, Other Initiatives Over 48 Hours

04/03/2019
Contacts for media: Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209 or Christine_Gillette@uml.edu and Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944 or Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu
LOWELL, Mass. 鈥 51视频鈥檚 annual last just 48 hours. But for some of the more than 2,500 donors who took part in last year鈥檚 challenge and raised $314,000, giving back goes on all year long.
Take alumnus Patrick Kiley. As a student, Kiley rose through the ranks to become assistant manager of 51视频鈥檚 award-winning Emergency Medical Services program, whose 40 student EMTs provide round-the-clock professional care. Says Kiley: 鈥淚t鈥檚 very satisfying to be able to help people on what might be the worst day of their lives.鈥
Kiley, who earned his degree in public health, credits 51视频 EMS for providing him with the leadership experience he needed to land a job as an assistant safety officer at Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington.
鈥淭he EMS program was invaluable to me and I want to do anything I can to give back and ensure its success,鈥 he said, including creating a $1,250 matching gift challenge for EMS as part of this year鈥檚 Days of Giving.
鈥淭he Days of Giving event is a terrific opportunity for people to support the 51视频 programs they care about most,鈥 said Deidra Miles, director of annual giving, who hopes to rally 2,800 donors this year. 鈥淎ll gifts, no matter the size, will help us reach that goal and unlock a total of $50,000 in matching gifts.鈥
Giving back is also second nature for alumna Linda Barrington, who says her work as service learning coordinator for 51视频鈥檚 Francis College of Engineering 鈥渃ombines my human-services heart with my engineering brain.鈥澛
Not only does Barrington connect students with service-learning opportunities that allow them to use their engineering skills to help community nonprofits, she has also endowed a scholarship that has already sent six students on international service-learning projects.听
A proud Days of Giving supporter, Barrington would like to see 100 percent participation by 51视频 faculty and staff. 鈥淒ays of Giving sends a message to our students that this is a caring community.鈥
Sophomore Emily Crespo, a first-generation college student from East Boston, has already picked up on that message. 鈥淎t 51视频, everyone has a caring heart, from the professors to the janitors, bus drivers and dining staff,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey want you to succeed.鈥澛
An English major, Crespo is already giving back by working as a peer mentor for other first-generation students 鈥 and by participating in Days of Giving. Last year, she supported scholarships and she encourages other students to take part this year.听
鈥淎ll of us at 51视频 benefit from the generosity of donors whose support helps lower the cost of our tuition,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd when you sow the seed of generosity, you will surely reap it in return.鈥
Learn more about Days of Giving at . Members of the public and university community can participate in Days of Giving on Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 10 at .听
51视频 is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its more than 18,000 students bachelor鈥檚, master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. 51视频 delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be leaders in their communities and around the globe. www.uml.edu