Issue: Summer 2013 | Posted: June 4, 2013

Old School

Young alums seize opportunities for sacrificial giving

David Haney ('11) works on the security staff at Union University Germantown. When he looks back at his senior year on the Jackson campus, he remembers coming close to dropping out of school.

The problem was financial in nature. Money was tight.

Haney sought help from the Office of Student Financial Planning. Assistance came in the form of a scholarship earmarked for students from Memphis. He was relieved and grateful.

"It made the difference," Haney says today. "I could stay at Union and finish out my last year. I felt really blessed."

One might expect a person in that situation to express gratitude. But for Haney, the words represented much more than good manners.

"I was looking for an opportunity to give back, and I didn't know when it would come up," he says.

He says the moment came with the launch of Union's Renewing Minds library capital campaign on the Jackson campus. He decided to make a monthly pledge that would require significant changes in his personal spending habits.

"The Lord asks us to give sacrificially," Haney says. "Think about what Union has done for you. Union has blessed a lot of people's lives, and I feel blessed to give that money back to Union."

Haney is among scores of students and young alums who have supported the campaign. Many express a future-directed attitude that seeks even better opportunities for the Union students of tomorrow.

"That's what my gift is for," Haney says. "If the benefits come long after I'm gone, that's OK with me."