The late Jennifer Lawrence Bordelon points to her personalized 'Miss Ole Miss' brick on the Walk of Fame in the Circle. An Ole Miss Women's Council fund paying tribute to Bordelon received 27 gifts on Giving Tuesday 2024. Submitted photo
Multiple ways to help Ole Miss students featured during day
More than 250 University of Mississippi alumni and friends marked the occasion of Giving Tuesday, the worldwide annual day of giving on December 3, 2024, to embrace philanthropy by raising more than $11,200 for project-based crowdfunding initiatives at Ole Miss.
“A total of 251 Giving Tuesday donors made 258 gifts and showed that kindness and charitable investments are among their top priorities,” said Maura Langhart, senior director of annual giving. “Their generous gifts will greatly benefit many members of our university community.”
The most popular initiative, the Ole Miss Career Closet, received 123 gifts from donors. This will help provide more students, regardless of their financial situation, with a free outfit and professional styling each semester to help them interview and launch their careers with confidence.
Students will also benefit from 27 gifts made to the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy‘s campaign for the Jennifer Lawrence Bordelon Leadership Fund. This fund provides income for the council’s mentorship of its student scholars.
It honors the memory of a beloved young alumna who was a Women’s Council scholar and a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and was selected as Miss Ole Miss and Kappa Delta president during her college career.
Among other ongoing crowdfunding campaigns, donors supported:
- The Helen Ward Kellum Legacy Award for Excellence in Theatre Arts to cover continuing-education travel costs for theater students
- Ole Miss Opportunity Scholarship to help Mississippi residents afford college
- Oscar Pope Memorial Scholarship to honor late UM alumnus Oscar R. Pope through a scholarship in the School of Journalism and New Media
- Carnesha Nelson Memorial Scholarship to benefit students in the School of Applied Sciences and preserve the late student’s memory
- Living Music Resource to give students unique experiences to enhance their music degrees.
For each gift of $18.48 or more, donors received a pair of “Trash Can Friday”-themed socks – a big hit with Giving Tuesday donors. The design featured the iconic red and blue bins that dot the Grove on football game weekends.
All philanthropic contributions to the University of Mississippi Foundation are tax-deductible. To continue giving, visit https://ignite.olemiss.edu. For more information, contact Maura Langhart, senior director of annual giving, at ag@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2760.
By Tina H. Hahn
