Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and the latest edition to the holiday shopping mantra . . . #GivingTuesday. The idea is simple. Just find a way for your family, your community, your company or your organization to come together to give something more. Then tell everyone you can about how you are giving.

The Parkway Alumni Association hopped on the #GivingTuesday initiative and is hoping you will use your social media outlets to spread the word. They created a campaign in which you donate your class year (such as $20.13 or $201.30 if you graduated in 2013) and then post an #unselfie of yourself with a speech bubble cutout, explaining why you support the Parkway Alumni Association. Money raised from the campaign will be used to fund Parkways Granting Dreams program.

“We have our regular annual giving letters which are mailed in December, but we are trying new ways to reach out due to the high costs of postage,” Executive Director of the Parkway Alumni Association Jan Misuraca said.

Each year the Parkway Alumni Association grants between 150-200 students dreams, giving a student anywhere up to $250. Last summer sophomore Allison Collins, sophomore Christine Newell, junior Clara Sun and senior Elizabeth Newell were amongst the grant recipients.

“Mine was about getting money to buy a piccolo, the miniature flute, because our school has one, but it’s broken beyond compare,” sophomore Christine Newell said. “Our band director does not think buying the piccolo is in our budget, so I have been getting money to buy my own.”

Junior Clara Sun wanted to work with Students and Teachers As Research Scientists (STARS).

“When I applied for the Granting Dreams, I wanted to participate in this program during the summer called STARS. Students research with the researchers at universities. There’s an application fee, and it was $80, and I thought that Granting Dreams could help pay for it,” Sun said.

Sun appreciates the Granting Dreams’ work to help students work toward their future.

“I’m grateful for the Granting Dreams since it helped start my journey to go to the STARS program, and then that gave me a lot of experience. I think Granting Dreams is good to help motivate people to try to achieve what they want. If you do get a Granting Dreams, you feel good about it and are more excited and motivated to try to get your goal.”

To donate to the Parkway Alumni Association, click here.