Climb to 25
On April 1, 2021, Radford University launched the Climb to 25 campaign, a giving opportunity with the goal of raising faculty and staff participation to 25% or more. As part of this campaign, faculty in the Department of Occupational Therapy (OT) at Radford University and Radford University Carilion (RUC) created a new scholarship fund for OT students.
Senior Director for University Advancement Penny Helms White ’85, MBA ’87, and Assistant Director for University Advancement Vanessa Conner ’12, M.S. ’15, worked with department chair Sarah Smidl, Ph.D., to develop the scholarship — one of the first funds supported by both Radford and RUC employees because of the dual-campus nature of this program. Every employee in the OT departments at both the Radford and Roanoke locations contributed to the fund, and several were first-time donors.
The exceptional nature of this scholarship fund, along with one launched by the Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism, is that both were initiated by faculty in each program to support their students directly.
“The real celebration point with both of these scholarships is that faculty led the way to launch the fund, seeing a need and responding to it themselves,” said Carolyn Clayton, Radford University’s director of annual giving. “They made a direct positive, collective effort to help meet a pressing need for their students.”
The OT scholarship fund currently stands at over $3,100, but several OT employees give via payroll deduction, so that amount grows every two weeks. Giving by payroll deduction is an easy way for Radford employees to make contributions and personalize their giving to an area of campus that matters the most to them.
“Seeing faculty reach out to alumni and invite them to support current Highlanders is really encouraging,” Clayton said. “Every gift to Radford University — no matter how large or small — is important and has the power to change lives.”
In April 2022, Radford will publicly announce the percentage goal for the Climb campaign for this fiscal year. Every gift moves us forward. Join the Climb today: www.radford.edu/climbto25!
The OT scholarship fund currently stands at over $3,100, but several OT employees give via payroll deduction, so that amount grows every two weeks. Giving by payroll deduction is an easy way for Radford employees to make contributions and personalize their giving to an area of campus that matters the most to them.
“Seeing faculty reach out to alumni and invite them to support current Highlanders is really encouraging,” Clayton said. “Every gift to Radford University — no matter how large or small — is important and has the power to change lives.”
In April 2022, Radford will publicly announce the percentage goal for the Climb campaign for this fiscal year. Every gift moves us forward. Join the Climb today: www.radford.edu/climbto25!
The Climb to 25 campaign concluded on June 30, 2021, and employee response was tremendous. Milestones of the Climb campaign include:
