Paying It Forward

Today’s Daily Deac blog was written by David Cox (’11)

Do you remember how pristine the campus looked when you moved your child into their freshmen dorm on move-in day? There was not a single blade of grass out of place, all cut within millimeters of its neighbor. The paint looked like it might still be wet and the smell of a thoroughly cleaned dorm room awaited them.

Fast forward four years.

Soon, the stage will be set and chairs put out for the other bookend of your child’s collegiate career: graduation. Flowers will be blossoming, faculty and staff will be nostalgically looking back at their time with this year’s graduating class, and (most importantly) more than 1,000 Demon Deacons will have their degrees conferred and will be released into the world.

But what goes in between this Alpha and Omega of a student’s life at Wake Forest?

Football games. Late Night Studying in the ZSR. Early morning divisionals. Hit the Bricks. Shag on the Mag. A Taste of Winston-Salem. Traditions Council Old Campus Trip. D.E.S.K. Lunch with a Professor. Walks in Reynolda Garden. Lilting Banshee Shows. Basketball Games. Sunday morning Pit brunch. Long naps on Davis Field. CHARGE. Carnivals. Concerts. Expansion of intellectual boundaries. Tailgating. Wake ‘n’ Shake. Date Functions. New Friends. Homecoming. Family Weekend. Convocation. Social Dance Class with the infamous Robert…the list goes on.

These are just a few of the staples of Wake Forest life, things that every generation of student looks forward to experiencing at some point during their college career. In fact, one might be willing to bet that many of these events are things that even parents look forward doing each year.

Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior parents, no need to start the waterworks just yet, you have a few more years to go before these will be memories. Senior parents, you aren’t quite as lucky.

Senior parents, we at Wake Forest are, and have been since their arrival, very proud of your students. They have continued a very important tradition that started in 1834; leaving Wake Forest better than when they found it. The Wake Forest legacy goes generations deep, and spans across the world. Who knew that a tiny Manual Labor Institute in Wake Forest, North Carolina would become a top 25 National University like it is today?

The fact that the Wake Forest of today is as good as it is is because of generations of students, parents, and alumni that have graciously given back. Whether it was $1 or $1,000,000, it has all added up to help the University in some way to make sure that each generation of student gets to have the quintessential Wake Forest experience.

I want to make a special appeal to parents of seniors—please encourage your students to develop philanthropy as a part of their life after Wake Forest—and there is no time better to start than now.

We’re asking our seniors to give to the 1834 Student Giving Campaign. This campaign is designed to help students understand the importance of giving back now, in hopes that they will be good stewards of Wake Forest in the future. By giving a gift of $10 to the 1834 Campaign, seniors are showing their support of their alma mater, how it has helped them grow, and how much their Wake Forest degree means to them. Students can give this small gift to the Campaign via our website via Deacon Dollars, Debit, or Credit.

The 1834 Campaign has been hosting events all year, but in case your senior has missed our messages to them, we hope as parents you will encourage them to give a gift before they graduate to show their appreciation for this wonderful place they have had the privilege to call home for the past four years.  (If your student is a freshman, sophomore or junior, we want you to encourage them to make a gift too and begin to make philanthropy a part of who they are.)

And parents, if you haven’t supported the Parent’s Campaign, we need your help too! As parents, you can show your faith in the Wake Forest degree that your child will be getting with a gift to the Parents Campaign. You can even dedicate your gift to your senior—and they can dedicate their gift to you.

All in all, time keeps ticking off the clock until May 21. Ask your seniors to honor their alma mater with a gift, and consider making one yourself. Generations of Wake Foresters have left this place better than they found it, and we hope you will encourage your Demon Deacon to do the same.

My Very Best,

David W. Cox (‘11)
Student Giving Fellow