Helping Hands at Home and Abroad

Class of 2015 Kick-starts Campaign for New Scholarship Endowment, Aids Nepal Disaster Relief Efforts with Remaining Class Funds

Although it's said that "charity begins at home," the UH College of Pharmacy's Pharm.D. Class of 2015 is making sure that charity doesn't end at home, either.

During the four years of the professional pharmacy program, each class typically undertakes various fundraising projects, such as the annual International Day event organized and hosted by the P1 class. The funds from the events often are used to purchase specific items for the entire class, such as required textbooks, rental costs of the graduation cap and gown, and other necessities, but good stewardship of their fundraising efforts often means there are funds remaining when it's time to walk across the stage. It's become something of a college tradition that most classes dedicate all or most of the remaining funds toward the college and/or other charitable endeavors. 

With the devastating April 25 earthquake that killed 8,000 and injured more than 17,000 in Nepal fresh on the minds of graduating students, the Class of 2015 voted to give nearly $1,000 to a nonprofit aid organization called Empower Nepali Girls. 

The class also elected to place approximately $1,000 in the college's Lau Family Growth Fund as a kick-starter for an eventual Class of 2015 Endowed Scholarship for future Pharm.D. students. The Lau Growth Fund is a special endowed "holding account" that allows the college to use interest generated by gifts into the Fund prior to a given intended purpose reaching its fully funded status and the principal placed into its own account.