News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The I Heart Tennessee Tech Students Initiative begins Valentine’s Day, offering the Tech family a chance to fund new opportunities for students.
Annual Giving Coordinator Kathleen Lordo said this is her favorite initiative the school holds each year. She said donations fund scholarships and travel grants for students who could not otherwise afford those experiences.
“Alumni, friends, we have some donors who didn’t go to Tennessee Tech, they just came to Cookeville or really believe in what Tennessee Tech does for students,” Lordo said. “Also, faculty and staff, they give to whichever fund means the most to them or resonates with them.”
Lordo said different sectors of the university tell her department where the areas of greatest need are, and funds are distributed to those areas. She said the initiative will run through March 27. People can go to 1915.tntech.edu to donate.
“Students have a lot of expenses when they come to college and there are a lot of opportunities that require support for them to be able to take advantage of them,” Lorda said.
Lordo said the travel grants give students the chance to present their work and receive recognition far from home. She said the University Memorial Scholarship is another popular fund for donations because it can be distributed to any student will a financial need.
“It’s grown in that people use this as an opportunity to tell the Golden Eagle community all the work that they’re doing, and where their need is, and what their students are accomplishing,” Lordo said. “It’s a great time to sort of get everyone together and rallied around our students and contributing to things that make a difference.”
She said areas like the Veterans’ Center, the Women’s Center, and the Center for Disability also receive funding to help those involved with those programs take advantage of all that the university has to offer. She said in the six years since the initiative began, it has gotten better each year.
