The fifth annual Birds Give Back, Illinois State University’s day of giving, will be Thursday, February 23, during Redbird Philanthropy Week with a goal to receive 3,000 gifts in support of Redbird initiatives.
On September 14 and 15, Thank-a-Donor Days will return for its fifth year of in-person celebrations. This year’s event will take place in the Bone Student Center’s Prairie Rooms 1 & 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day.
Illinois State University reached its third highest private support total during the fiscal year that ended June 30, with $31.2 million raised.
Neil Styczynski had considered funding a college scholarship someday. But meeting then 17-year-old Dr. Kate (Norcross) Newton ’10 made him think, “If not now, when?” Styczynski and his wife, Joan, decided to establish the Neil and Joan Styczynski Scholarship at Illinois State for transfer students who want to teach and demonstrate a financial need. Newton was the scholarship’s second recipient.
David Dhermy had been working with the Springfield Department of Rehabilitation Services in order to pay for college. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many delays in employment that caused Dhermy to experience financial hardship.
Trejuan Hicks ’21 has learned to be resilient.
Nicole McCoy, a registered nurse of 11 years, is pursuing a master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner at Illinois State. “I am excited to explore different areas in nursing outside of my current expertise and explore how I can best serve my community in the future,” she said.
Dr. Charlotte Talkington ’61 is a loyal university supporter. She retired in 1994 after more than 30 years as faculty in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Talkington solidified her support for the department in 2001 by establishing the Charlotte E. Talkington Professional Development Fund in Family and Consumer Sciences.
Elementary education graduate Elaina Quilty ’21 is a recipient of the Dr. Stewart L. Adams Endowed Scholarship, awarded to support those who plan to become teachers. Quilty told her scholarship donor, “People like you inspire me to be the best student I can be.”
The Doris Dungey Endowed Scholarship is helping journalism major Maritza Navarl-Lopez pursue her dream. The scholarship is awarded to a journalism, mass media, or production student who has exhibited academic achievement and work experience, volunteer experience, or extracurricular involvement.
