To you, generous donor:

My students and I cannot thank you enough for donating to our 2022 Marion Pay  It Forward campaign.  Thanks to your generosity, another Pay It Forward course has been funded.  This means another group of students will get to learn about the issues in Marion and then experience the difficult task of deciding how funds should be awarded.

Currently this semester, students in the Pay It Forward course have evaluated six grant proposals, made a first cut to narrow those to only three still being considered for funding, and have now heard presentations from those three organizations.  Students have learned what these organizations do for the community, how they are helping make a positive impact, and why they are in need of funds.

In reading some of their journal reflections, my students are seeing how difficult it will be to decide who gets how much of our $5,000 award simply because all of the organizations we’ve heard from are doing such great things in the community, impacting real lives.

The donation you gave during this campaign ensures that another class of students will have this experience and that the work they do for the course will have a positive impact in the community of Marion.

So, thank you once again.  The ripples of impact from Pay It Forward will continue to spread for a long time to come.

I am truly grateful for your support!

Amy Tibbals

Goal Reached with Your Help!

We are pleased to announce that on February 27th, with only three days to go, we completely funded all $2,000 of our campaign goal! This enormous achievement was only possible because of the generous donations by people like you. Every dollar donated will be put forward to help our Marion community in vital ways. 

Thank You For All Your Support!

Not only that, but our $2,000 has been MATCHED by our community partner, United Way of North Central Ohio, which turned our $2,100 into $4,100.

This means that another Pay It Forward course will be fully funded, and all because of the help from people such as you. During these unprecedented times, this support is more important than ever. 

Once again, thank you so much for all of your donation!

Interview With Chris Trapp

Hello all!  We recently had an amazing opportunity to speak with the Director of Retention and Educational Outreach here at OSU Marion, Chris Trapp. From the impact this project has on student retention and outcome to why she has supported this campaign year after year, Ms. Trapp offers many valuable insights within this interview.  Please consider taking a few minutes to listen to our conversation!

Hello, Buckeyes! We’ve been blessed with an interview from the one and only Erin Slater, a current Pay It Forward donor and a previous grant recipient with Marion Mentors. Erin Slater will be talking about how receiving the grant helped her organization, and what that means for you as a potential donor, seeing the good that you can do for the community, in action. We are excited to be able to share this interview with everyone and we hope you find the content to be informative!

 Our questions are indicated by the black bullet point, and Erin Slater's answers are listed below it with the white bullet point.

• “Currently you are employed at OSU Marion. What are your job responsibilities?”
  • "I am the Coordinator of Recreation and Environmental Programming. This includes overseeing the student center, intramurals, helping to plan student life events and I am still learning more about what environmental programming we can offer here at OSUM."

• “What was your occupation before working at OSU Marion?”
  • "Before coming to OSUM, I was the Director of Marion Mentors, a mentoring program run by the Marion Family YMCA."

• “What does Marion Mentors do?”
  • "Marion Mentors is a relationship-based mentoring program. The organization matches volunteer mentors from the community with students in the local school districts and the matches meet once a week. Currently, 1 in 3 young people grow up without a mentor in their life, and Marion Mentors is striving to close that gap."

• “Have they received any grants from OSU Marion’s Pay It Forward previously?”
  • "Yes, one time I believe it was in 2020 because when we were awarded the funds it had to be switched to a virtual platform."

•  “Could you please describe how receiving that grant affected the organization?”
  • "We purchased shirts for the mentors and mentees! In the past, we had only purchased t-shirts for the mentors, but we found out the students wanted them too. So we felt it was important to find a way to do that for them to feel a sense of belonging and pride in being a part of the program." 

• “Have you donated to this year’s Pay It Forward yet?”
  • "I have donated! Because I saw firsthand how awesome this type of campaign is not only for the organization receiving the funds but also for the students in the class that get the experience of going [through] the process of sorting through applications, hearing presentations, and selecting projects to support."

• “What does the Pay it Forward campaign mean to you?” 
  • "I personally feel it is such a valuable experience for everyone involved and it is such an easy way to even include others by allowing them to donate to something that is going to directly and positively impact our community."

• “In what ways do you think this grant could positively impact the Marion community?”
  • "The students in the class are not only getting the experience of seeing what a philanthropic institution experiences, but also, they are being exposed to new ideas, new ways to volunteer and get involved in their community. I know when I was giving my presentation, I left with several students wanting to become mentors [them]selves. Through money donations and time volunteered is how we will continue to change our community."

• “Before we go, do you have any messages you’d like to share with people who are still considering donating?”
  • "It is super simple and you know your money is going to a great campaign, I strongly encourage you to donate!"

 We’re extremely glad that Erin Slater was able to find time to answer these interview questions. Not only that, but we hope this different perspective was encouraging; seeing exactly how your donation is important to these organizations and how it positively impacts not only them but those they help uplift in Marion. With the help of your donations, we can help give back to the Marion community in meaningful ways.

So Close!

With just under a week left until the end of campaign, we are so close to meeting our goal!  We would like to thank everyone who has already graciously donated to our cause, but there is still work to do.  

Campaign Boosting Posters

To help us reach our goal, we have created posters which lead directly to our Buckeye Funder website to hang across campus.  Our hope is that students and faculty who come across our flyers may be informed about our cause as well as given a convenient, instantaneous way to support.

Poster Promotions

Below you will find a copy of our promotional poster, feel free to use it!  The QR code attached will bring viewers straight to the donation page, it would be perfect to hang at the office or to forward to friends and family.  We're close, let's reach our goal!

Hello again everyone! We are excited to bring you this interview with OSUM student and Pay It Forward donor Collin Thacker! Collin is also involved in the organization of the Pay It Forward Campaign as a member of the English 3304 business writing course. This interview discusses, among other things, Collin’s connection to the Marion community, his motivations to give to the campaign, and his role in organizing the campaign. We hope you enjoy this insider look at what is involved in organizing the Pay It Forward Campaign!

Question 1.Tell us a bit about yourself! (Major, years at OSUm, interests, etc.)

 Collin Thacker: Hi! My name is Collin Thacker. I am a third year student (junior) at OSUM and my major is English with a minor in Creative Writing. I love to write poetry and watch horror movies in my free time.

Question 2. What motivated you to give to the campaign?

 C.T.: There are actually many reasons why I gave to this campaign… one being that I saw that the Boys and Girls Club were involved. I used to be a troubled youth myself and was once in this organization. I was extremely satisfied with the way they taught kids to be a productive member of society, make anti-drug choices, and live a healthy lifestyle all while giving back to their community.

Question 3. For the Pay It Forward project, our English 3304 class is split into groups, each with a different target audience. What is your group’s target audience?

 C.T.: Our group's target audience was anyone outside of the OSUM community.

Question 4. Each member of each group has a specific role to play in organizing this campaign. What is your group role, and what type of tasks are involved with this role?

 C.T.: My group role is the Scribe. My job is to make sure that I take notes and file them where the entire group can access them, and let everyone be included in the note-taking process. 

 
Question 5. Are you from Marion, and if so do you know anyone in need who might benefit from this campaign?

 C.T.: Yes I am from Marion, born and raised. I can tell you that I know dozens and dozens of children and adults who could GREATLY benefit from this campaign and many more who don’t even know it exists. That is why I am doing my part to spread awareness by making routine posts regarding this grant across my social media.

Question 6. For our English 3304 business writing class, we had to send 20 emails to contacts of our choice informing them about the campaign. Who did you send emails to, and how did they respond? 

 C.T.: I sent emails to local non-profit organizations and many of my fellow co-workers, family members, and friends. They responded almost immediately, seeing the need for this money to be distributed throughout our local Marion area, and restoring this town to its fullest potential.

Hello, fellow Buckeyes! We hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day! Our English 3304 class has still been working hard on the Pay It Forward Campaign. Here are just a few things our class has been up to:

Working in Groups

Our class is split into three groups, each with a specific target audience. Each group is tasked with informing their specific target audience about the campaign and persuading them to donate. For example, our group’s target audience is students, so we are responsible for reaching out to fellow OSUM students and telling them about this campaign.

Writing Updates

Each group is also responsible for writing three updates. These updates will appear on the webpage for this campaign on Buckeyefunder. These updates are also emailed to donors to update them on how the campaign is doing. (That’s why you might be receiving this email now.)

Conducting Interviews

Each group also must conduct an interview with a donor from their target audience. For example, since our group’s target audience is students, we will conduct an interview with an OSUM student who has donated to the campaign. These interviews will be appearing in future updates.

Special Thanks to Our Donors

We would like to thank everyone who has already donated! We are on track to meet our goal, and this wouldn’t have been possible without your generous contributions. We have already raised over $1,400! We encourage you to spread the word to your family, friends, and coworkers! 

 Group Picture: 

Left to Right: Haley Thomas, Jacob Duke, Virgil Michael

Starting Week Three

We are about to be starting week three, and it would mean so much to us if you consider donating to our cause! Your donation helps make a difference in the lives of people around you, no matter how small. If you’ve ever wanted a chance to help improve your local community, consider donating to the Pay It Forward initiative! We have currently raised $1,415 which is approximately 70% of our class’s goal (being $2,000). So what do you say? Donate today! 

To Our Outside Donors, Thank You

During these first two weeks, we have had multiple donors from outside of OSUM. We would like to thank you immensely for your donations! We would also like to give a big shoutout to Anonymous donors and donors giving with honor to someone. We do not have to know everyone’s name, but those donations are just as important. Without those we would not be as close to our goal; even though we are so close to our goal you can still donate. If we exceed our target, then we are able to give more to the local community and organizations. 

Organizations Helped in Previous Years

Some of the organizations that have benefited from these funds in the past include Boys and Girls Club, a local community center focused on children, as well as Heart of Ohio Homeless Shelter/Marion Shelter Program which helps homeless people in the area. With this Pay It Forward campaign we are able to help a few different organizations every year, which then helps out the Marion community. 

What is better than giving back to your local community? If you want to participate but cannot make a donation now, our campaign is running until March 2, 2022, at 11:59 pm.

Over Halfway There!

As of writing this update, we have already reached over 60% of our fundraising goal! This is a huge, unprecedented accomplishment for the Pay it Forward campaign. Thank you to everyone who has donated already. 

Special Thanks to Ohio State Marion Faculty and Staff

Making up a sizable portion of the donations thus far, it is encouraging to see the overwhelming support from the Ohio State Marion faculty and staff. A special thanks goes out to Stuart Lishan, Leslie Beyer-Hermsen, Chris Trapp, Autumn Lovejoy, Mary Tobin, Kumar Vijay Garapati, and Amy Tibbals. Your extreme generosity and dedication towards bettering our community is on full display. Thank you for your contributions!

Educational Opportunities

Given the impact that the Pay it Forward campaign has on the education of students at Ohio State Marion, it is not surprising how passionate the faculty and staff have historically been in supporting this fundraiser. For anyone who feels similarly and would like to make these educational opportunities possible this year, there is plenty of time left to donate!

You can take part in this opportunity for students at Ohio State Marion by donating any amount by the end of our official fundraiser, March 2nd. We’re getting there; let’s bring this home!

Hello there, Buckeyes! We're thrilled to be returning with Pay It Forward! We know that Covid-19 has had an impact on the world in a number of ways over the last few years, so it feels nice to return some positivity to the Marion community. We would like to thank everyone who has already donated! Our campaign has already raised over $1,000!

What is Pay It Forward? 

If you’re not familiar with Pay it Forward it is a crowdfunding campaign created by our English class to provide service opportunities for students at Ohio State Marion. Over the past four years Pay It Forward has helped raise $25,533 for the Marion community. These funds were presented as grants to several non-profit organizations in the Marion community. Here are just a few examples of things this campaign has accomplished in the past:

• People without health insurance were able to obtain life-sustaining medications.
• People living in need learned how to break the cycle of poverty by understanding middle-class rules and expectations.
• A special scholarship for African American high school seniors was created to help access/afford a college education.

Our goal for Pay It Forward 2022!

Our class has set a goal of $2,000 to reach by the end of our fundraiser. Our time to help our community is ticking; the deadline for donations ends on March 2nd! If you haven't already, please be sure to make a donation before this date if you would like to help make a difference. Even the smallest amount can help someone in need! Feel free to share information on Pay it forward with family, friends, and coworkers to help us raise money for our cause. Thank you!