Submitted by Leadership Giving Coordinator Flynn Ashley

As the academic year comes to an end at Thomas More, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members gathered together during Scholarship Week to support a simple mission: to Make it More. “Our community is extremely supportive of our efforts to support our students,” says Kevin Reynolds, Ed.D., vice president for Institutional Advancement. “Scholarship Week capped off an outstanding year at Thomas More.”

In year two of the Second Century Campaign – It’s time for More, Thomas More University has raised over $21 million to support the Strategic Plan – Lighting the Way set forth by Thomas More President Joseph L. Chillo, LP.D., which focuses on student success, academic innovation, and responsible stewardship. The success of the Strategic Plan relies on the Thomas More community coming together to support current students, and during Scholarship Week this was achieved.

The first event of the week was the annual Endowment Luncheon where benefactors of the over 100 endowed scholarships were invited to have lunch with the student scholarship recipients. “Our benefactors have been incredibly supportive of our students over the years, this is a chance for us and our students to show their appreciation for their generosity,” says Reynolds. Graduating senior, Lacey Chestnut, shared her inspiring story of how the endowed scholarship she received to attend Thomas More, helped her achieve what seemed like a distant dream of becoming a college graduate.

Following the Endowment Luncheon was the Scholarship Week Day of Giving. Each Spring, the Thomas More community comes together to support students through a day focused on giving. “This year, we chose specific areas of campus to support, calling the day of giving ‘Support Your More.’ Our community could choose what to support from student success and academic support, to University athletics or scholarships. Our community showed their support for our students and we are so thankful,” says Leadership Giving Coordinator Flynn Ashley.

The last event of Scholarship Week was the annual Scholarship Golf Classic at Summit Hills Country Club. With 108 golfers and sponsors including title sponsors UHS and MKC Architects, and presenting sponsor Republic Bank, the impact the golf outing had was enormous. “Thank you to all of our golfers and sponsors, your generosity and support mean the world for our students,” says Director of Annual Giving and Advancement Services Beth Maley.

“Our final numbers for Scholarship Week are incredible! Thank you to our supporters,” says Reynolds. The final count is in with a tally of more than $78,000 raised through the generosity of 233 donors. Thank you to all who participated.