I made a giving pledge in January to donate money to a different nonprofit every month.
Waiting until December, or until being asked, just didn’t seem like a good giving strategy.
Last month, I gave to CURE (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy), in honor of a classmate of my son who battles epilepsy.
This month, I’m donating to Syracuse University, my alma mater.
SU has a special place in my heart. Though the weather sucked, the four years I spent there were some of the best of my life. I studied in London and backpacked around Europe via Syracuse. I witnessed the basketball team make it to the national championship in 1996. My education there has opened up a ton of doors for me. I met some amazing people.
Best of all, I met my husband on Mt. Olympus my freshman year. (Those who went to Syracuse know what that means. And remember those damn stairs.) He proposed to me on campus four years later. That same weekend, we traveled to the “big house” and witnessed Donovan McNabb lead the Orange (Orangemen at that time) to a victory against the reigning National champions in college football, Michigan. (Tom Brady was quarterbacking there as well.)
Heck, we got married in Hendricks Chapel on campus. We lived in Denver at the time, and none of our family or friends lived near upstate New York. Everyone traveled to Syracuse for the weekend. It was awesome.
We’re currently grooming our kids to be ‘Cuse fans. And while they can go to any college they’d like (except for Georgetown or Miami, of course), we’d love to see them go to Syracuse.
I chose Syracuse for February because it’s the month that holds Valentine’s Day. Every year, for the last few years, they’ve sent me and my husband a Valentine’s Day card. It’s a specific card just for Syracuse couples. It’s a brilliant donation appeal.
So, yes, technically I did get asked.
And I gave.
Who did you give to this month?
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