By Julia Oller | Echo
The first fundraiser in Taylor history asking every student to donate is not focused on giving dollars, but on giving back.
The Pay It Forward Initiative offers students the chance to contribute toward the fireplace near the Jumping Bean in the new LaRita R. Boren Campus Center. On Feb. 12 and 13, those who wish to donate can give online or at stations set up in the DC and Union.
Because $19.5 million of the $20.5 total building cost has already been raised, student ambassador intern and junior Abby Dyer sees the campaign as a way to highlight the generosity of those who have already given.
"The dollar amount is not our goal," Dyer said. "But we'd love for students to be able to finish the rest of it off."
To further emphasize the initiative's philanthropic focus, the campaign team encourages students to give in honor of those who have shown them hospitality during their time at Taylor, from CREW tour guides to influential professors. Online donors can use the hashtag #ididitfor___ to acknowledge their honorees on the donation website.
Every giver's name will be engraved on a plaque in the new student center. Instead of listing names according to donation amount, the plaque will be arranged alphabetically. Jason Koh, a MAHE student who served as a J-term intern for the campaign, said that this arrangement highlights the participants' attitudes rather than their dollars.
"There's no shame in how much you can give," Koh said. "It's more (about) giving from your heart."
Every contributor will also receive a pin with the "Paying It Forward" logo as a celebration of their generosity. Additionally, the Habeckers will host a gathering for wings or floors with 100 percent participation.
President Habecker said that the campaign offers students the chance to join a legacy of generosity that he experienced during his time at Taylor.
"All Taylor students, including Marylou and me, have been blessed by the efforts of previous Taylor students and friends who have sacrificially provided for the needs of future generations of Taylor students," Habecker said. "That is why this student effort inspires us."
Koh hopes that when the effort ends, students view the Campus Center not only as a building, but as an opportunity to invest in those who come after.
"We probably won't see the fruits of our labor now, but we know that future generations that come to Taylor will experience this," Koh said.
