Mackenzie Callaway hugs Truman the Tiger at the annual Grateful Tigers Party on Sept. 25, 2011.
President John F. Kennedy once said "the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." The Mizzou Student Foundation has turned those historic words into action through the Grateful Tigers program. The annual fall event invites general scholarship recipients to come together, enjoy some pizza, take photos with Truman the Tiger and write “thank you” notes to their donors. Members of the Office of Development then send the note and photograph to the donor or their representative.
“It is important for me to thank the people who are supporting me and to let them know how I’m putting their faith in me to good use,” says freshman biological engineering student Mackenzie Callaway. The Lee’s Summit native received the Kansas City Alumni Chapter Scholarship and wrote her own thank you notes to alumni chapter members in addition to the Grateful Tigers thank you note she wrote to the chapter. “When someone invests in you financially or emotionally, you feel a responsibility and are motivated to work harder. Donors could have used their funds on something else, but instead, they chose to invest in what they believe you can accomplish.”
The Grateful Tigers program was created three years ago as a way for general scholarship recipients to thank donors. General scholarships are those that are centrally administered by the University, through the office of financial aid. Until this program was created, only donors who contributed to school and college based scholarships received thank you notes.
The Grateful Tigers party not only allows students to thank donors, but also educates students about the importance of philanthropic giving to the University. At the beginning of the school year, over 700 scholarship recipients are contacted to fill out a student profile, which is then sent out with the annual endowment report. This is in addition to the thank you note and photograph.
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