On April 13, Perkins School of Theology will be part of SMU Giving Day, a time of commitment and celebration. This once-a-year, 24-hour philanthropic blitz rallies Mustangs everywhere for one big day of fundraising.
SMU Giving Day is a funding lifeline to many initiatives, at Perkins and beyond. Many of the causes on campus rely on Giving Day to meet their financial goals. Because of the pandemic, last year’s Giving Day was suspended. We hope that this year’s event will surpass the efforts of the past.
Where does the money go? SMU administers gifts to the specific causes that donors select on the Giving Day website. During our last Giving Day, 160 projects were available. More than 3,200 donors gave $1.4 million dollars to those combined causes!
What are Perkins’ initiatives this year? Perkins has selected five important initiatives for donors to support on April 13:
- The SMU Fund for Perkins is a discretionary fund for the Dean to use to meet challenges, start new plans, and take care of issues that arise. It is like Perkins’ savings account to cover needs of our family. The goal on Giving Day is $5,000.
- Global Theological Education’s project goal is $8,000. Through the Virtual Visiting Professor program, Perkins School of Theology is providing high quality teaching resources to underserved theological schools in Africa, Asia and Europe. To meet this objective, we seek out theologians, church leaders and community developers, particularly those in the global south who are offering all of us new and deeper insights into the ways that God is active in our world. We video their short lectures, then make the lectures available in a package with readings, /discussion questions and learning outcomes on our Virtual Visiting Professor website. Dr. Robert Hunt states: “Giving helps connect our donors in direct and understandable ways with projects directly tied to Perkins’ mission of serving the church. This giving encourages both the direct beneficiaries, and those engaged in the day-to-day management of these projects.”
- The Hispanic/Latin@ Ministries program’s Roy D. Barton Lectureship hosts leading Hispanic/Latin@ scholars in theological education, as well as church leaders who have significantly impacted the Hispanic and Latinx church and community. Please help the program reach its goal of $5,500 and continue the legacy of Barton lectures.
- General Student Financial Aid Fund. Scholarships are the most pressing need at Perkins. We want to help our students afford the outstanding theological education they receive here. Every scholarship award we can give aids in recruitment and mitigates the cost of higher education. The goal is $4,000.
- Student Life is pursuing the installation of a water bottle filling station. As we look to a hope-filled future with students returning to in-person learning on campus, we are excited about the possibility of having a water bottle filing station available at Perkins. Having a clean and sanitary place for individuals to fill their drinking containers will be a real advantage for all those who use our buildings for classes, programs, and events. The goal is $5,000.
In order to participate, please go to https://givingday.smu.edu/pages/giving-day-2021-home-page and follow the prompts. The site will go live closer to April 13th.