Taylor University received $400,000 from the 1846 Giving Circle to help fund five different proposals focused on enhancing students’ experience.
The proposals are for new intramural fields on the west side of campus, the continued operation of the Lembright Atrium in the Euler Science Complex and funding for the Taylor University Chorale’s mission trip to South Korea. The other proposals assist with TUOnline school and enhance the Kesler Student Activities Center (KSAC) laundry room, Michael Lindsay, president of Taylor, said.
Kathy Stevens is a friend of Rebecca Lindsay, first lady and ambassador for Taylor University. Stevens started the 1846 Giving Circle to serve as a portal for giving back to Taylor, Rebecca said. Stevens was originally invited to a separate giving circle at a different college and found it moving, which inspired her to start her own giving group.
The group focuses on connecting people who love Taylor back to the university through the avenue of giving. The group discusses what ideas and projects to donate to after hearing the different options.
“The 1846 Giving Circle engages folks, many of whom are alums, parents or friends of Taylor and allows them to connect with others who love Jesus and Taylor,” Rebecca said. “My hope is that this group will continue to grow and meet together while collectively funding proposals that support the mission of Taylor.”
Though the 1846 Giving Circle is only two years old, it has already made a large impact on Taylor. For example, it helped start the Good Work Initiative in the Calling and Career Office (CCO), Skip Trudeau, the vice president for student development and intercollegiate athletics, said.
Trudeau manages intramurals at Taylor. He oversees the donations going toward intramural fields.
“We have a very high percentage of students involved in athletics at Taylor; it’s way above the national average. Our fields were kind of being pushed so this allows us to start with brand new fields and we think it’s going to be perfect for how and what we want intramurals to look like,” he said.
The intramurals aren’t all that the 1846 Giving Circle is contributing to. Trudeau believes the KSAC laundry room remodel will be much appreciated as well. The washing machines were beginning to slow with the heavy usage, as hundreds of Taylor athletes used them daily, he said.
For the Chorale, this donation will fund their first trip to South Korea, where they will learn, sing and observe music in a different context, Ben Plattner, a junior student in Chorale, said. This funding makes the trip more accessible to the 70 students in the group, he said.
Plattner is looking forward to experiencing a completely new culture and observing how they learn music, as well as being able to see ministry in action, he said.
“It would be really cool to hear from several Christians who are there and how they’re doing ministry, and the different ways that works,” Plattner said.
President Lindsay is excited to see how God will use the gifts for the proposals to energize campus, he said.
“I think the work of the 1846 Giving Circle is important because it provides an opportunity for Taylor faculty and staff to propose a promising idea to a group of individuals who love Taylor University and want to see it thrive for years to come,” he said. “It’s a unique grant-awarding process in that it is fundamentally ‘by Taylor, for Taylor.’”
The Chorale, alongside many others benefitting from the proposals, is thankful for the generous gift from the 1846 Giving Circle, the president said. This donation impacts many facets of campus, providing improvements for current and future students.
