A Good Day’s Work
In the six years since Penn State hosted its first GivingTuesday, this international day of giving has become a signature way for Penn Staters to support each other’s ambitions, the school they love, and a vision of a better world. Last year’s twenty-four-hour digital fundraising event inspired more than 10,400 gifts to over 100 University campaigns—and empowered student organizations, alumni chapter groups, and college and campus communities during a year when support was essential and encouragement went far. Read on for a few examples, then mark your calendar—GivingTuesday 2021 happens on November 30.
Broadening Perspectives
By teaching the principles of journalism to incarcerated writers, and compensating them for their contributions, Prison Journalism Project (PJP) is changing the way stories about the criminal justice system are told. GivingTuesday support last year allowed PJP to launch Story of the Week, a series of articles by incarcerated writers, and to produce The Prison Reporter’s Guide to Journalism, a comic book-style textbook for in-prison class use. The image above is a sketch from Brian Hindson, an artist incarcerated in Texas, drawn on the cardboard from a boxed meal.
Raising the Song
What’s behind the iconic sound of game day? More than 300 student musicians—and thousands of GivingTuesday supporters. The Penn State Blue Band, a longtime GivingTuesday participant, used support last year to buy seventy new trumpets, invest in new uniforms, and advance plans for the installation of an ethernet data port to better broadcast virtual performances. What keeps the Blue Band coming back to GivingTuesday, though, are the Penn Staters who support their efforts—a show of confidence that is felt by every person who puts on the Blue and White uniform.
Delivering Aid
Penn State Remote Area Medical (RAM) believes that no one in need of medical care should forego treatment because it is too expensive, and GivingTuesday supporters agree. A first-time event participant in 2020, RAM utilized the University community’s support to help establish the inaugural Pennsylvania RAM clinic. With this investment, RAM is better positioned to fund a host site in 2022, secure necessary medical supplies, and acquire food and housing materials for volunteers.