Make Your Mark! began its fourth year on campus with a Valentine’s Day fundraiser, and a new overseer David Arduin ‘12.
A Geneseo alumnus and former Ice Knight, Arduin has a love for Geneseo and a passion for giving back to his school and community. He brings a new level of intensity to this year’s fundraiser.
“I’m from Vancouver; I couldn’t be farther from home,” Arduin said. “I went to school here and I work here and I love Geneseo … I’m really passionate about being able to give back to the school that has done so much for me.”
He hopes to expand the reach of the program, especially within the senior class, by creating a student philanthropy committee that helps organize this campaign.
“The purpose of Make Your Mark! is to give students an opportunity to give back to the school while you’re still part of the community,” Ardiun said.
Even though Geneseo is in the State University of New York system, only a portion of it is publicly funded. A good amount of remaining funding comes from private sources, especially donations.
Most on-campus activities benefit from these donations and Arduin has many of them represented in his committee. His mission is to remind students in various organizations of the funding that makes them possible and inspire students to give back to the Geneseo community.
In the words of senior Aaron Dorfman, president of the Class of 2014, this fundraiser is “an opportunity to express what we love most about Geneseo and to make sure future students get to experience the same things.”
Arduin speculated that at least 95 percent of the student body participates in an activities that exist because of private donations including internships, research grants, study abroad programs, varsity sports and scholarships.
Dorfman said he hopes that this year’
The 2014 campaign includes many events, the first of which occurred on Valentine’s Day in the Union, called #lovegeneseo. The others include: Countdown to Commencement beginning March 4; Senior Salute Days on April 2 to 4; and Thank a Giver, or Tag Day, on April 25. There are also Challenge Weeks, which begin Monday Feb. 24, in which organizations compete to raise the most funds in return for monetary prizes. The intent of these games is to encourage student donations and increase student awareness and appreciation of how much donations affect their time at Geneseo.
Arduin is adding one more change to the lineup: a toast to 2014. In this senior-exclusive event that will include a red carpet, catering and complimentary champagne, students will reminisce on their times at Geneseo. It will include a photo slideshow and speakers, and is “all about making them feel good about their experience,” Arduin said.
Dorfman said the event is “based on looking back at all the fond memories we had over the past four years,” and considers it “a great way to bolster senior spirit.”
Through these changes and new events, Arduin hopes that students will find inspiration to “give back to a school that has already done so much for them.”