BARNESVILLE, Ohio – Steve Tatum is thankful that Olney Friends School still provides students the opportunity to live and learn in the same type of values-based environment that he enjoyed as a student in the 1960s. That is why he is committed to making a monthly donation to the school.
“I knew quite a few of the older donors and admired their loyalty,” Tatum said. “Now that the `60s are long gone, except for superficial remnants like less formal dress, the way of life at Olney is rare – deeply rooted values, egalitarian and communal, but not hermetic. I’m thankful students are still able to live it and take it into the world with them and that there are committed staff with more important goals than making a lot of money.”
A 1966 graduate of Olney, Tatum still has ties to the school community through people like his stepsister, Diane Giffin Fernsler, and friends such as Rich and Mary Sidwell, John Morgan and Fred and Jean Cooper. After graduation, he spent some time in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and he now lives in Blacksburg, Va., where he works in the library at Virginia Tech.
When he decided it was time to start giving back to his alma mater, he opted for the convenience of automatic monthly online giving. That way there is no chance he will overlook the commitment, and he believes it benefits the school in more ways than one.
“It’s simpler to automatically give a little each month than to give a lump sum once a year,” Tatum noted. “I figure it’s also more efficient for (school staff) not to have to keep track of annual donations and send out reminders, so it saves the school some time and money.”
One goal for Olney this year is to expand our donor base by engaging dozens of new participants with our sustained giving program. Sustained giving consists of monthly gifts to the school that can be made automatically in a variety of convenient ways. Methods of sustained giving include:
• Online giving – Go to www.olneyfriends.org and click on the green “Give to Olney” button. Complete the PayPal form to make a secure donation. Be sure to check the box next to your generous gift amount that says “Make this recurring (Monthly).”
• Monthly direct deposit – Make arrangements with your banking institution to send a gift each month directly from your bank account.
• Monthly bill paying service – You can make donation arrangements through an online bill paying service you already use.
Gifts to the Annual Fund help make Olney a vibrant, creative and innovative place of learning by providing scholarships to a diverse group of current students, funding the exceptional academic, spiritual and social programming offered at Olney and meeting the school’s operating costs. We appreciate every gift received and know that each and every gift makes a difference!
