Day of Giving passes goal

Class of 1992 logged highest participation

On March 8, International Women’s Day, 671 alumnae/i, students, faculty, staff, friends, parents, and spouses went online to support Hollins, surpassing the goal of 642, the average number of days a student spends at the university.

The class of 1992 had the best showing, with 41 classmates participating. Morning, afternoon, and evening challenges got the day started and kept the momentum going. The class of 1992 won the “morning class challenge” as the class not in reunion this year with the most donors before 12:00 p.m. EST.

The classes of 1958 and 2016 tied in the “afternoon reunion class challenge,” and the class of 2006 dominated the “late-night young alumnae challenge.” The night ended with Margaret Gibbs ’71 winning the “last-chance challenge” and a Hollins scarf by being the donor with the largest gift between 10:00 and 11:59 p.m. The total amount raised during the 24-hour challenge was $145,757.

For more about the day, visit hollins.edu/dayofgiving or search #hollinsdayofgiving on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Donor Spotlight

Jan Fuller ’78: “Giving to Hollins is a blessing for me”

I love Hollins. That is the bottom line for me. From the first day I set foot on the campus (move-in day in 1974), to the day I began working there as chaplain, and until now, I give thanks for the effect of Hollins in my life and leadership, in my sense of self, and even in my faith. In 24 years as chaplain, I witnessed the transformative nature of a Hollins education, of the experience of a women’s community, and the deep and broad community of Hollins women who are making the world a better place. I often give thanks for [former dean] Bridget Puzon, [former president] Nancy Gray, [former president] Paula Brownlee, [retired professor of music] Jim Leland, [late professor of English] John Cunningham, and so many others.

I have given to Hollins since I was a young graduate, small gifts to be sure, but small gifts add up to big ones. My mother taught, “The more you give, the richer you feel.” Earlier this year, when the tax bill threatened higher education institutions, I promised myself to make my commitment even more visible and real.

While I’m grateful for learning at Hollins how to creatively run a program “on a shoestring,” our best programs need to be supported with generous resources. The deeply spiritual nature of the Hollins campus, community, and educational endeavors is evident. Our efforts to appreciate the religious practices of all and to live respectfully with difference may be the way the human race will survive. I want to support the chaplaincy and interfaith commitments at Hollins, even when I’m gone.

I know that those who lead decision-making efforts at Hollins are careful and wise. I have seen them at work! Giving to Hollins is a blessing for me, as Hollins itself is. I want to give more, and estate planning is the way I can do it.

The Rev. Dr. Jan Fuller is university chaplain and lecturer at the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life at Elon University.