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. – UMass Lowell’s annual Days of Giving last just 48 hours. But for some of the more than 2,500 donors who took part in last year’s 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 UMass Lowell’s award-winning Emergency Medical Services program, whose 40 student EMTs provide round-the-clock professional care. Says Kiley: “It’s very satisfying to be able to help people on what might be the worst day of their lives.”
Kiley, who earned his degree in public health, credits UMass Lowell 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.
“The EMS program was invaluable to me and I want to do anything I can to give back and ensure its success,” he said, including creating a $1,250 matching gift challenge for EMS as part of this year’s Days of Giving.
“The Days of Giving event is a terrific opportunity for people to support the UMass Lowell programs they care about most,” said Deidra Miles, director of annual giving, who hopes to rally 2,800 donors this year. “All gifts, no matter the size, will help us reach that goal and unlock a total of $50,000 in matching gifts.”
Giving back is also second nature for alumna Linda Barrington, who says her work as service learning coordinator for UMass Lowell’s Francis College of Engineering “combines my human-services heart with my engineering brain.”
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.
A proud Days of Giving supporter, Barrington would like to see 100 percent participation by UMass Lowell faculty and staff. “Days of Giving sends a message to our students that this is a caring community.”
Sophomore Emily Crespo, a first-generation college student from East Boston, has already picked up on that message. “At UMass Lowell, everyone has a caring heart, from the professors to the janitors, bus drivers and dining staff,” she said. “They want you to succeed.”
An English major, Crespo is already giving back by working as a peer mentor for other first-generation students – and by participating in Days of Giving. Last year, she supported scholarships and she encourages other students to take part this year.
“All of us at UMass Lowell benefit from the generosity of donors whose support helps lower the cost of our tuition,” she said. “And when you sow the seed of generosity, you will surely reap it in return.”
Learn more about Days of Giving at www.alumni.uml.edu/daysofgiving. Members of the public and university community can participate in Days of Giving on Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 10 at www.uml.edu/umlgives.
UMass Lowell 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’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell 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