There are few things more powerful than giving. Whether we’re giving time, money, gifts or a helping hand, the difference we make in another’s life is immeasurable, and the rewards we receive in return are greater still.
为了展示捐赠的力量，学院与四名学生合作. 我们给了他们每人100美元，让他们把钱捐出去. The students had complete control over how they gave and to whom. Here’s a glimpse into their experiences, the impact they made, and how their attitudes toward giving were affected.
Showing gratitude
Shivani Brahmbhatt是2023届的毕业生，她马上就知道自己想如何把钱捐出去. 这位化学专业的学生曾质疑自己是否具备成功的条件. 但是她的两位教授，特蕾西·汤普森博士和劳拉莉·吉尔博博士介入了.
“(Tracy) motivated me to keep going. 她每天都会检查我，告诉我需要多少时间就花多少时间。”布拉姆哈特说. “Lauralee’s always been like a family member. She goes to the extra mile to care for her students. I want to give back to people who’ve gone over and beyond for me.”
Her idea? To surprise each of them with lunch, flowers and a card. Brahmbhatt likes to share tokens of appreciation, often with food, but this was a chance to show gratitude on another level. “如果你有机会做点小事，向别人表明他们很重要, that you notice, I think it’s great,” she explains.
The result? Both professors were genuinely surprised and appreciative. “In that moment, they weren’t stressed; they weren’t worried. They were just smiling, and I was smiling with them. It was impactful,” says Brahmbhatt. “I don’t really have words for how good it feels.”
Charitable giving
Vanessa Lund, class of 2024, 她决定把所有的钱捐给威斯康星儿童医院，因为她不仅支持他们对精神健康的关注，还因为她曾经是一名病人. “I had a personal connection, so for me, 能把钱还给威斯康星儿童基金会感觉真的很好.”
Being able to donate online also made the process simple, if not as immediately gratifying as handing someone $100. Lund, a communication major, knows that there are children and families who need help, 她认为，允许该组织分配她的资金将产生更大的长期影响.
“Even though I might not be able to see the results right away, 我想只要知道这笔钱将用于慈善事业就会让我感觉很好,” she says. “我很高兴知道我可以用我得到的钱有所作为，并把它用于一个好的事业.”
Causes that matter
对于2023届毕业生塔尼亚·埃尔南德斯·加尔万(Tania Hernandez Galvan)来说，回馈社会是她所看重的. 作为一名公共卫生专业的学生，她非常清楚某些社区存在的差异.
“I’ve always had an interest in working with women and children. 我觉得回馈社区或者让他们知道有人关心他们是非常重要的,” she says.
对埃尔南德斯来说，最困难的部分是决定如何将这笔钱分配给对她来说重要的事业. 她最终为威斯康辛人道主义协会购买了宠物用品, clothing for the Milwaukee LGBTQ Community Center’s free closet, 为瓦克夏的西班牙裔健康资源中心提供婴儿用品, where she is currently an intern.
Her takeaways? Giving is much easier than she anticipated, 她惊讶地发现有那么多组织需要帮助. 她还学会了即使是最简单的手势也会受到赞赏.
“We live in such a fast-paced society, I forget to slow down and just be in the moment, giving time to my family and friends,” she says. “Just being the sunshine for others goes a long way.”
Random acts of kindness
Jaquelin Moreno Gallegos, class of 2024, wanted to spread as much joy as possible, 所以她决定买鲜花，并把它们分发给校园里的人.
“My love language is gift giving, because I feel like that’s how I show my affection, and it means a lot me to be able to give to people,” she says, 她补充说，她期待与朋友和陌生人建立一对一的联系.
这位教育专业的学生几年来一直在社区做志愿者, so giving of herself comes naturally. Her goal with this project? “我想让别人开心，因为你永远不知道别人正在经历什么. Maybe all they need is a random stranger to give them a flower.”
The biggest surprise for her was how people reacted.
“我以为人们会说，‘哦，谢谢你’，然后走开. 但很多人对此都很友好，问了一些问题，比如“你为什么要这样做?? What is this for?’ It was really cool,” she says. “我想经常自己或和其他学生一起做这样的事情. I think it would be a really cool thing to do.”
Psychology behind giving
So what motivates people to give? 心理学教授克里斯·瓦斯奎兹博士说，原因各不相同.
“有时候我们给予是因为我们对别人的痛苦感同身受，所以我们可以用礼物来减轻自己和别人的痛苦,” she says. “有时候，我们的付出是一种含蓄的社会契约的一部分:力所能及的时候我会付出, and I hope someone will help me when I need it. 如果我们得到了帮助，我们可能会给予回报或传递. 我们给予那些看起来需要帮助的人，以及那些我们认为值得帮助的人，无论我们如何定义. We give to demonstrate our values.”
While some freely give their time, money or other resources, there are others who hesitate, 通常是因为他们认为他们所能提供的是不够的.
“想象一下，我只有一美元可以捐，而我觉得捐得这么少很尴尬, so instead I give nothing,” says Vasquez. “Is the recipient better off? No. 如果很多人像我一样有一美元可以捐出去的话, there could be a big benefit to the recipient.”
Lund echoes this when reflecting on her experience.
“我可能没有很多钱，但总有其他选择，比如志愿服务. 你总有办法回馈他人，”她说.
Lessons learned
我们可能都有不同的给予动机，但这样做会让我们快乐.
“People feel sustained happiness from giving to others,” says Vasquez, and the students’ experiences bear this out.
Brahmbhatt说:“我了解到，当我看到别人微笑时，我真的很开心。. “这给我带来了很多快乐，你从中得到的快乐比世界上任何东西都重要.”
Hernandez Galvan felt inspired.
“这让我觉得自己被重视了，它鼓励我花更多的时间投资于这些社区或我自己社区内的这些团体,” she says.
Moreno Gallegos reports that it made her feel good about herself.
她解释说:“这很有成就感，你会因为让别人开心而感到快乐。. “你真的不知道一个人正在经历什么，或者他们正在经历什么, and maybe that one thing might make their whole day.”
隆德补充说:“我认识到能够回馈社会的重要性。. “你有多少钱或者你能给予多少并不重要, the important thing is that you’re giving.”
所有参与的学生都表示他们愿意继续捐赠, whether it’s their time, talents or money. Hernandez Galvan has even put regular giving in her planner, because, as she says, “small acts of kindness really do go a long way.”
