HHP recognizes Cornerstone Society’s philanthropy
Charlotte resident and vice-chair of the HHP Advancement Council Wanda Montano, center, receives her Cornerstone Society plaque from Dean Anisa Zvonkovic and Development Specialist Don Leggett on Sept. 28 in the Smith-Williams Center. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
A Sept. 28 celebration in the Smith-Williams Center brought together new and returning members of East Carolina University’s College of Health and Human Performance Cornerstone Society.
The society recognizes donors providing gifts of $1,000 or more during the fiscal year.
Dean Anisa Zvonkovic welcomed the crowd and acknowledged the importance of the 87 Cornerstone Society members, whose philanthropic gifts total more than $475,000 in 2017-18.
“Today we celebrate your generosity and express gratitude for your help building and sustaining the work and legacy of HHP,” Zvonkovic said.
The gifts fund a wide range of programs and projects in the college, including training in the Center for Applied Psychophysiology to help wounded warriors recover from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, student travel to attend professional conferences and the National Retail Federation trade shows in New York and Los Angeles, and professional student memberships to the National Association of Social Workers.
At right, Kate Taylor Harcourt, assistant professor of human development and family science, was inducted in the Cornerstone Society, which recognizes donors who provide gifts of $1,000 or more. (Photo by Susannah Berry)
Department of Human Development and Family Science professors Kate Taylor Harcourt and Erin Roberts spearheaded a fundraising campaign in memory of two loved ones. The Hannah Bailey and Jackie Mastromauro fund was established in honor of two women who lost their lives due to mental health and substance abuse. The fund supports students in crisis and allows them to receive therapy at no cost at the Marriage and Family Therapy Center, as well as supporting therapy for community members.
“Mental health is so important, and we are excited to reduce at least one barrier to it in this community,” said Harcourt, who was inducted as a new Cornerstone Society member.
Durham resident and ECU alumnus John Archibald, senior account executive with Merck, attended the event. Archibald, a health and physical education graduate, supports a student scholarship.
“Going to college was a privilege to me,” Archibald said. “My education and experiences at ECU have shaped my life and granted me the opportunity to share my resources to ensure other students are able to experience what I experienced.”
Sharon Knight, Mike McCammon, Debra Tavasso, Richard Williams and Lena Williams-Carawan were honored as emeritus faculty. Chris Dyba, vice chancellor for university advancement and president of the ECU Foundation, was the featured speaker.
Fundraising campaigns in the College of Health and Human Performance totaled more than $1.16 million in the 2017-18 fiscal year.
At right, Chris Dyba, vice chancellor for university advancement and president of the ECU Foundation, thanked donors for their generosity. Angela Lamson, HHP associate dean for research and professor of human development and family science, is in the background. (Photo by Rhett Butler)
-by Kathy Muse, College of Health and Human Performance