Bennett College December 6, 2018 Over 170 donors help Bennett College exceed its Giving Tuesday goal! It's been a week since Bennett College raised $55,618 on Giving Tuesday, and the gifts keep rolling in. "The College was very pleased with the donations that poured in from 173 donors on Giving Tuesday," said Bennett President Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins. "Now people are sending in money because the end of the year is fast approaching. We appreciate all of the money that's being donated to the College, which we will put to very good use." Audrey Franklin, executive director of alumnae relations, Shaakira Jones, technology and digital engagement specialist, and Melissa Watson, a residence hall director at the University of Memphis, spearheaded the College's Giving Tuesday efforts. All three women are Bennett graduates. "Audrey, Shaakira and Melissa did a phenomenal job coordinating our Giving Tuesday efforts," said LaDaniel Gatling, vice president for institutional advancement. "They worked diligently to ensure Bennett's alumnae, faculty, staff, students and friends of the College knew about the event, and I was encouraged by the enthusiasm displayed on Nov. 27 when people joined us in the student union to make their donations. We exceeded our goal by nearly $6,000, and I am confident next year we will raise significantly more money on Giving Tuesday." Patricia Woodard, executive assistant to the President, was among the staff members who contributed to Bennett on Nov. 27. "It seems appropriate to contribute on Giving Tuesday to 'give back' through student scholarships," Woodard said. "The students are our most valuable asset. If I make a difference in the life of only one student, then I am blessed to have given." Woodard was one of many Giving Tuesday donors who won a door prize. After receiving her gift card, she promptly walked over to an unsuspecting student in the Sallie Walker Brown Dining Hall and blessed her with it. "I think it was really sweet and nice because she didn't have to give it to me," freshwoman Dionna Stevens, a business administration major from Upper Marlboro, Maryland, said of Woodard's benevolence. "I applaud the notion of Giving Tuesday because it represents giving to somebody out of the kindness of your heart." Bennett graduate Deborah Love is a former President of the College's National Alumnae Association, a former member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the Class of 1979. She said her class hopes to raise $40,000 for Bennett to commemorate their 40th anniversary next year. Moreover, she texted many members of her class and asked them to make their initial contribution toward that gift on Giving Tuesday. "I wanted to come out today specifically because this will spearhead our initial contribution from my class," Love said. "I texted many of my class members and asked them to make today our initial contribution toward the $40,000." Bennett alumna Elizabeth Patterson White '70 said she stopped by the College on Giving Tuesday because she wanted to be among the group of people working to ensure Bennett remains a beacon of hope for young women of color for generations and generations to come. "I live in Browns Summit and I come to visit Bennett as often as I can," said Patterson White, who established an endowed scholarship in memory of her mother, Irene Barnes Patterson. "I heard about Giving Tuesday through the mail and wanted to be a part of it." Freshwoman Jasmine Evans, a social work major from Winston-Salem, said she made a contribution "because the school does so much for us students I thought I should give back." Evans said she thinks fundraisers like Giving Tuesday are good because the emphasis is on giving - not necessarily on the amount. "It's a good way to draw in smaller gifts from everybody, not just from the well-established," she said. To give to Bennett College, please visit www.bennett.edu<http://www.bennett.edu/> and click on Donate Now, utilize the College's text to give method by texting Belles to 444999 and following the instructions, drop by the College with your donation or mail a check to Bennett College's Office of Institutional Advancement, 900 East Washington Street, Greensboro, N.C. 27401. SANDRA M. PHOENIX HBCU Library Alliance Executive Director Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library 111 James P. Brawley Drive SW Atlanta, GA 30314 404-978-2118 (office) 404-702-5854 (cell) http://www.hbculibraries.org/ sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org%3cmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org>> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hbculibraryalliance1/ and Twitter https://twitter.com/HBCULibAlliance Check out "PULSE!" The HBCU Library Alliance's News Source! - https://hbculibraryalliance.wordpress.com/