Monthly Column October 2020
Why I Give to Dalton State
I know firsthand the difference scholarships make to students.
Though my parents worked hard, they could not afford to send four daughters to college without financial help. I needed financial help pursuing my dreams.
That’s one of the reasons I support scholarships for our students by donating to Dalton State each year. I know for many of our students even a few hundred dollars can make all the difference.
I give because someone once gave to support me. I give because I believe anyone who wants to pursue higher education deserves that opportunity I had – and my son now has. I give because I believe, as Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “No country, however rich, can afford the waste of its human resources.”
Dalton State hosts its inaugural Giving Day this year on Thursday, Oct. 27. This is an opportunity for alumni, employees and other friends of the college to come together and show their support for our students and our community. We each have the opportunity to help the future leaders of our community, state and country.
We have identified several specific initiatives to fund through this year’s giving day. All the projects are focused on helping our students succeed and achieve their dreams. Projects include a fund for emergency assistance for students, traditional scholarships, technology upgrades and virtual teaching experiences, as well as the creation of a cross-disciplinary lab for biology and psychology students.
It makes me proud knowing the vision of the leaders that brought a public college to Dalton is being realized. Our forebearers understood the community needed an educated population to create and drive a thriving economy. It needed to be accessible and available to anyone who wanted to pursue this path.
There are countless studies and statistics about the difference a college degree makes to one’s future. We know the likelihood of being unemployed is significantly less for someone with a college degree compared to a high school diploma only. And we know the average earnings of a college graduate over a lifetime are vastly greater.
Every year our world becomes more complex. We need the future leaders of our world to be prepared to grapple with increasingly difficult issues and to overcome challenges our society is facing.
And that’s why we need you and your support. We cannot do this alone.
As our friend Lamar Wright says, “We are changing lives at Dalton State!” And we’re doing so with your help. Any gift we receive now through Oct. 27 will be included in our Giving Day initiative. Most of our students graduate with little or no student loan debt which means they are better prepared to contribute to our economy immediately upon graduation. Your gifts make this possible.
What we’re doing at Dalton State matters, and it is changing lives. It is especially vital we push forward now, during this pandemic, preparing students for life after graduation. I see how Dalton State College – and before that Dalton College and Dalton Junior College – has already made a difference in this community. I meet our graduates and other alumni who took a few classes with us throughout the community in a variety of roles and settings. They speak with pride about their experience at Dalton State and how it prepared them for life afterward.
Every year, our scholarship recipients tell us how touched they are someone they don’t even know cares enough to contribute to a scholarship fund that helps them earn their degree at Dalton State. Our students realize the significance of gifts from people who believe in them and our college’s mission. They are reminded each day they study in buildings bearing the names of community members who contributed to their education.
For the past three decades, I have focused my time and energy on helping ensure more students have the opportunities I had to become a contributing member of society through education. Even during a pandemic, I can think of nothing more important to do than to continue our work. I give my time and talents, and I also contribute financially to Dalton State. Whatever moves you to support Dalton State, I hope we can count on your support this October.
You always have the option to donate to Dalton State for whatever purpose drives your passion, but please visit www.daltonstate.edu/givingday to learn about the special projects we hope to fund with the support of our friends and alumni.