Endowment dinner honors donors

Courtesy Photo | Mike Stehlik
Doane Alum Andre Davis ‘89 speaks on the importance of endowed scholarships.

Last Wednesday, April 17, the scholarship endowment dinner was held for potentially all donors of endowed scholarships and the students who benefit from those scholarships.

“The evening is meant to help donors see firsthand the impact their philanthropic support has on students and their Doane experience,” Donor Relations and Stewardship Manager Megan Forbes said.

Students who benefit from an endowed scholarship were asked to save the date for the dinner in advance. Once their donor indicated they would be attending the event, students were reached out to and formally invited to the dinner.

During the social hour of the dinner the evening featured Doublewide choir for entertainment.

The dinner also featured speeches from seniors Ryan Evans and Payton Detavernier who spoke about the impact and importance for these scholarships. Director of Planned Giving Thom Reeves also shared information about Doane’s endowed scholarship program. Finally, the feature speaker was alum Andre Davis ‘89 who shared his perspective on why endowing scholarships is important.

“Doane donors are passionate about supporting students, and there is no better way for them to see their generosity in action than to connect them directly with the student or students they support,” Forbes said.

The dinner allowed donors to hear first-hand how their gifts impact the lives of students.

The event was a successful evening and Forbes is grateful for the donors who attended and the students who attended and helped to make it so successful. In addition, Forbes thanks those in the athletic, music and theatre departments who enabled the attendance of their students to this event to share their experiences.

In addition to those in attendance, Forbes said that they worked closely with events staff as well as FreshIdeas to make sure this event was successful.

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