Giving Stories

Amira Said has always been passionate about sustainability, but the junior environmental science major has unearthed new ways to care for her community and the planet since coming to the University of Mary Washington.

“During my first year, I noticed how much food waste was generated,” she said. Building upon the UMW Office of Sustainability’s work – which has earned the University a perennial spot on The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges – she secured funds last year to place three large compost bins in high-traffic areas on campus.

Yet, Amira wants to go even greener, with plans to engage her fellow students in a hands-on learning experience to promote composting. The Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant she received this spring will prevent hundreds of pounds of food waste from ending up in landfills, instead producing nutrient-rich recycled matter to use in UMW’s pollinator gardens and on the grounds.

Now in its second year, the Impact Grant program recently awarded over $25,000 in donor-funded grants, ranging from $500 to $5,000, to nine projects pitched by students, faculty, and staff on behalf of recognized campus organizations. Eight initiatives earned funding last year, including Eagles in Recovery, the Charnoff Production Studio, an initiative to dispense free menstrual products on campus and a new program called “Soft Landings,” which helps incoming students with autism spectrum disorder acclimate to Mary Washington.

Applicants were required to submit a video and slide deck, demonstrating financial need and outlining measurable objectives, a detailed budget, a sustainability plan, and a targeted audience. Each project was also evaluated on how closely it aligned with UMW’s ASPIRE values.

Junior environmental science major Amira Said pitched one of the nine projects that earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant this spring. With the funding she received, she plans to implement an experiential learning program to teach UMW students about the importance of composting while preventing hundreds of pounds of food waste from going to landfills each week. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Members of UMW’s Community Outreach and Resources (COAR) student service organization earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant to make hundreds of bagged lunches for Micah Ministries to feed the area’s unhoused population. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From left: Alumni Association Board of Directors President James Llewellyn ’87, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement and UMW Foundation Executive Director Katie Turcotte, and Alumni Board members Harry Thomas ’96 and Brendan Kelly ’95 listen to presentations before awarding Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grants in April. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Alumni Board President-Elect Charmayne Staloff ’05 (left) and Alumni Board member Katherine Redmiles ’15 during the Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant presentations. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

In collaboration with the Eagles in Recovery program (which earned an Impact Grant last year), Student Government Association Vice President Shadwick Yoder ’25 (seen here) and SGA Senator Maso Moses ’28 received a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant to purchase enough Naloxone (Narcan) kits for each residence hall on campus, providing a life-saving treatment that can reverse opioid overdoses. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Dean of Students Melissa Jones (left) and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences April Wynn, who is faculty director of UMW’s First-Year Experience, earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant for ‘LaunchPad,’ a program that will help introduce executive function and socialization skills that are critical for students to be successful in college. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Several projects received additional funding from members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, who joined the Young Alumni Council in selecting the recipients after they gave presentations in April. “Amira was one of the top presenters, clearly and directly answering all questions and making a sound case for support,” said Alumni Board President James Llewellyn ’87, who personally contributed funds to Amira’s project with his wife, Deborah.

UMW student newspaper The Weekly Ringer, the Center for International Education, the new UMW Student Research and Creativity Collaborative, and a summer physics camp for high schoolers run by Mary Washington students also earned Impact Grants. In collaboration with the Eagles in Recovery program (which earned funding last year), Student Government Association Vice President Shadwick Yoder ’25 and SGA Senator Maso Moses ’28 also received an Impact Grant to purchase enough Naloxone (Narcan) kits for each residence hall, providing a life-saving treatment that can reverse opioid overdoses.

Impact Grant recipients have one year to use funds and must participate in a reporting workshop this fall.

Junior Knox McKinley received an Impact Grant on behalf of UMW’s Community Outreach and Resources (COAR), as well as a donation from Alumni Board Immediate Past President Vicki Sprague Ravenel ’77. The student-led service organization plans to make 600 bagged lunches next year for Micah Ministries to feed the area’s unhoused population.

“The application process allowed us to reflect on the service projects we’ve done and brainstorm how we can improve for the future,” said Knox, adding that COAR’s leaders honed critical-thinking, public-speaking and advocacy skills that will benefit them in their careers and lives after Mary Washington.

Junior Knox McKinley earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant to support Community Outreach and Resources (COAR), which plans to make hundreds of bagged lunches for Micah Ministries to feed the area’s unhoused population. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From right: Alumni Board Immediate Past President Vicky Sprague Ravenel ’77, Alumni Board member Katherine Redmiles ’15, Alumni Board President-Elect Charmayne Staloff ’05, and Alumni Board member Matthew Baker ’11 listen to presentations in April. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From right: Alumni Board member Brian Reagan ’04 and Young Alumni Council members Mary-Elise Alworth ’23 and Brooke Robertson ’21 listen to the Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant presentations. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Assistant Professor of Studio Art Coorain Devin introduces the concept for ‘Print-a-Palooza,’ a large-scale event to introduce printmaking to the campus, which earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

The rubric used by the Alumni Association Board of Directors and Young Alumni Council to evaluate the projects and initiatives. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Alumni Board member Colette Strawn Johnson ’97 (right) takes notes during the Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant presentations while Alumni Board member Jennifer Boyd Ross ’79 looks on. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Assistant Professor of Studio Art Coorain Devin’s Impact Grant will help host a public-facing printmaking celebration next spring called “Print-a-Palooza.” With a rented steam roller, Professor Devin and art students will create large-scale prints to display next year during Devil-Goat Day, marking the 100th anniversary of the uniquely UMW tradition.

“By getting arts out into the community, I’m hoping to get more people involved in arts on campus and to see themselves as artists, even if they’ve never had the chance to take an art class,” said Professor Devin, who will also use funds to help campus organizations utilize printmaking tools.

Dean of Students Melissa Jones and Associate Professor of Biological Sciences April Wynn, who serves as faculty director of UMW’s First-Year Experience, secured an Impact Grant for “LaunchPad.” The new program will teach students executive function and socialization skills that are critical to success in college, such as how to maintain a schedule, track deadlines, employ technology, communicate effectively, and respond to adversity.

“We’re so elated to have received an Impact Grant,” Professor Wynn said. “The program really speaks to the pay-it-forward spirit at UMW, and the way alumni are paving the way for current and future Eagles.”

Sarah Moran ’10, the study abroad coordinator for UMW’s Center for International Education, earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant to help underrepresented students with the process of getting a passport and studying abroad for the first time. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From left: Young Alumni Council members Megan Begley ’22 and Hannah Harris ’23 and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Sarah Smith ’12, who serves as the faculty representative on the Alumni Board, chat between presentations. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Assistant Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Betsy Lewis earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant to furnish the new UMW Student Research and Creativity Collaborative in Simpson Library, which will be a hub for undergraduate research. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From right: Alumni Board member Sye Smith ’96 asks a question of a presenter while Young Alumni Council member Melisa Levine ’17 and YAC Vice Chair Reid Merritt ’20 look on. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Junior Callie Harkins, editor of UMW’s student newspaper, The Weekly Ringer, earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant to secure membership in the Virginia Press Association and begin printing the paper in color. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Professor of Physics Matt Fleenor earned a Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grant for a summer physics program for high schoolers taught by UMW physics students. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Shadwick Yoder ’25, vice president of the Student Government Association, and Amira Said ’26, UMW Senate vice president, chat in between presentations, while Callie Harkins ’26 (right), editor of The Weekly Ringer student newspaper, looks on. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

UMW’s Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grants program is made possible through donors’ gifts to the Fund for Mary Washington. These gifts are vital to the University’s ability to improve the student experience and support faculty, providing crucial flexibility to respond to emerging challenges and seize opportunities as they arise. When alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff give to the Fund for Mary Washington, they are choosing to be part of a community that is committed to giving back and making the world a better place – enabling students to make positive change through programs like the Fund for Mary Washington Impact Grants.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04