KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Jimmy and Dee Haslam have donated $10 million to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to benefit two prominent university programs, fund endowed professorships and create an honors scholarship. Jimmy Haslam is president and CEO of Pilot Travel Centers. Dee Haslam is CEO of RIVR Media and also chairs the UT Development Council. The Haslams are chairs of the Campaign for Tennessee for the Knoxville Campus.
Of the $10 million, $3 million will be used to create the Jimmy and Dee Haslam Marco Endowment in the College of Arts & Sciences. [image-nocss] Earnings from the endowment will provide support for scholarly research and for the graduate student programs of the Marco Institute for Medieval & Renaissance Studies and forensic anthropology.
Another $2 million will go to the Forensic Anthropology Center, with $750,000 earmarked for a building to be constructed for the Anthropological Research Facility, known as the Body Farm. The remainder will create an endowment with the earnings used elsewhere in the program.
Another $2.5 million will go to into an endowment from which earnings will be used to create and fund the Haslam Scholars program, an honors program that will provide opportunities and scholarships. Haslam Scholars will be part of an intimate study group mentored by top UT faculty. The interdisciplinary curriculum and experiences will focus on study abroad and support a research thesis project. All Haslam Scholars also receive the Chancellor's scholarshipcurrently the top academic scholarshipwhich already covers tuition and fees, room and board and some other expenses. The Haslam program provides additional benefits that include a $1,500 laptop computer and a study-abroad experience valued at $4,000, as well as up to $5,500 to support a senior research thesis and travel to a national or international academic or professional meeting to present their work.
The remaining $2.5 million will be used to create the Haslam Family Professorship & Chair Endowment. Earnings will allow the university to recruit and retain top-notch faculty.
The gifts will be counted as part of the Campaign for Tennessee, a multiphase fund-raising effort that will extend through 2011.
Meanwhile, Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's General Stores Inc. is uniting with businesses across the country to help fight childhood cancer through the 16th annual Halloween Promotion benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, reported The Democrat.
During the month-long promotion, employees at the participating stores will ask patrons to make a $1 donation to St. Jude to join in the fight against catastrophic childhood diseases. In return for the contribution, the donors will write their names on pumpkin-themed pinups, which the establishment will display through Halloween.
In 2006, Casey's raised $312,326 for the children of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The 2006 promotion marked Casey's seventh year to participate. Casey's has now raised more than $1 million since the beginning of it's partnership with St. Jude.
Since its inception in 1992, the program has raised more than $33 million for St. Jude. This year, organizers of the fundraiser hope to sell more than 5 million pumpkin pinups by Halloween. With the help of our partners across the country, I know that it is possible to reach this goal, said John P. Moses, chief executive officer for ALSAC, the hospital's fundraising organization. At a cost of more than $1.2 million per day to run St. Jude, our kids rely on generous donors like Caseys and its patrons. With their help,. St. Jude can continue its life-saving mission.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for it work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities throughout the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization.
And separately, The Rutter's Cos. recently donated $7,500 to the Dallastown (Pa.) Area Educational Foundation.
The award will be used to develop Web-Assign, a web-based homework service for advanced high school and college-level science classes.
The York, Pa.-based company also recently presented a check for $5,000 to the Waynesboro (Pa.) Area Business & Community Foundation in Franklin County.
The donation will support the Adventures in Learning program, the Your Employability Skills (YES) program and sponsorship of the foundation's 2008 golf tournament.
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