Keeping college accessible and affordable among top priorities
CONTRIBUTED BY
AUBURN UNIVERSITY
AUBURN —
Tiger Giving Day, Auburn University’s annual day of giving that occurred on Feb. 22, received support from nearly 5,000 donors involving 58 initiatives across campus.
Projects focused on scholarships and affordable college living garnered the most funds raised, including the Provide a Path to the Plains with Auburn Clubs and Affiliates ($82,203), sponsored by the Auburn Alumni Association; and Keep College Affordable with Welcome Home Grants ($37,955), sponsored by Student Affairs.
The first project to meet its goal this year was for the EAGLES program in the College of Education. EAGLES, or Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success, is a postsecondary program for students with intellectual disabilities. The project, Cooking with the EAGLES, focused on purchasing kitchen tool kits for the Grocery Shopping and Meal Prep classes. This was the first year it had a project featured on the Tiger Giving Day website.
“These funds will provide our EAGLES students access to the cooking tools needed to gain hands-on experience in the kitchen, which will contribute to their future independent lifestyle,” said Stephanie Willis, Independent Living instruction coordinator. “Funds raised above our goal will be used to purchase an adjustable height worktable to help students prepare and enjoy the meals they cook. We appreciate everyone who took the time to invest in our work to help us further enrich the Independent Living experience for the EAGLES students.”
A recurring project since 2017 features the Auburn wheelchair basketball team. Its project this year, Enhance Gameday for Wheelchair Basketball, prioritized upgrading the gameday experience with a new LED front-lit score table, sideline chairs and more.
“We have been fortunate to be a part of Tiger Giving Day for several years now,” said Robb Taylor, head coach. “The Auburn Family has been incredible. Because of their support, we have been able to grow our adapted sports program, better support our student-athletes and increase our community outreach activity. Thank you to the Auburn Family for their continued support year after year.”
Since 2015, Tiger Giving Day donors have funded nearly 300 projects for the university, changing lives on campus, in communities and across the state. All projects featured this year can be viewed at TigerGiving.org.
Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.
