The Hokie Nation embraces its own and reaches out with open heart
and hands to those who offer their hearts and minds.
We are strong, and brave, and innocent, and unafraid.
Nikki Giovanni
The generosity we have witnessed in the wake of April 16 is awe-inspiring. Hokies across the nation have come together and it has been reaffirming for everyone at the university to know you are out there. In addition to the friends and alumni who already have a connection to our campus, we have seen an expanding Hokie family worldwide and for that we are truly grateful.
To contribute to any of these funds, you may visit our secure online giving page at www.givingto.vt.edu and select the desired name from the pull-down menu. Here, you will also find other stories that illustrate the touching ways people from all across the United States have helped the Hokie Nation heal.
If you would like to mail a check, make it out to Virginia Tech Foundation Inc., designate your gift for the appropriate fund on the memo line, and send it to the following address:
Gift Accounting
University Development (0336)
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Another incredible outpouring of support has come in the form of gifts of all shapes and sizes donated to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was established to offer assistance to those affected by the tragedy. There has also been strong support of the Hokie Spirit Scholarship Fund, which includes 32 scholarships, one in the name of each victim.
From individuals to organizations, from corporations to sports rivals, gifts have come from around the world. A seven-year-old girl sent a box filled with pennies and nickels, totaling $5.36--all the money she had--to "the Virginia Tech kids." A man who escaped the 104th floor of the World Trade Center II on 9/11 also made a gift to Virginia Tech. The White House Correspondents Association so respected the work of our student journalists that it presented a check to The Collegiate Times at its annual dinner.
Many corporations have offered to match their employees' contributions in addition to making their own gifts. And during this time of need for our community, traditional sports rivalries have taken a back seat to grief. In a letter to Virginia Tech students, students from the University of Virginia said, "Charlottesville and all its Wahoos now understand the true meaning of Hokie Pride." In that spirit of understanding, they have joined with their Hokie brothers and sisters by making a significant donation to Tech through their Hoos for Hokies fund.
While the events of April 16 will never be forgotten, they have demonstrated the Hokie Nation's ability to turn a moment of crisis into one of hope. We will continue to celebrate and embrace the Hokie Spirit, a special bond that we all share. Today, we are more confident than ever before that our bond will grow even stronger and more resilient.
