The Office of Advancement is working with stdent organizations to host a send-off campaign and event for University President Troy Paino.
The event will take place April 20 from 3-5 p.m. on The Mall, and it aims to raise donations for the Troy and Kelly Paino Emergency Student Relief Fund.
The event will have free food and games for students, and performances from several Truman State entertainment groups such as True Men and Minor Detail. There also will be a free raffle where eight students can win an invitation to have dinner with Troy and Kelly Paino.
Junior Nicole Batinick, Student Philanthropy Council’s external relations chair, says many leaders from organizations such as Student Government, the Women’s Resource Center and the Student Activities Board are working to set up the event on The Mall.
“A part of it is to say goodbye to [Troy] Paino,” Batinick says. “It’s also to kind of boost up commu- nity and Truman spirit … and to bring this school together for a really fun end-of-the-year event.”
Batinick says the fund will go toward keeping financially struggling Truman students on campus.
“If a student for some reason cannot financially come back to the University … they can apply to the fund, and that fund would cover their expenses to keep them at Truman,” Batinick says.
“Try to get as many people to come out as possible. This is going to be a really important fund for our family. It’s about keeping our family at Truman, and that’s a big deal.”
– Nicole Batinick, external relations chair for Student Philanthropy Council
Annual Fund Manager Stacy Tucker-Potter says the Office of Advancement wanted to create an event that gave students the chance to say goodbye to Troy Paino and also honor his legacy. Tucker-Potter says the Office of Advancement knew student organizations were going to show interest in the campaign, so it tried to centralize student efforts and keep those working on the event united in their work. Tucker-Potter says guidelines for students to qualify for the fund have not been established yet, but the Office of Advancement will play a role in selecting the recipients of the foundation fund.
If 1,000 Truman students donate $1 or more to the fund, a group of alumni said they will add $10,000 to the final amount, Tucker-Potter says.
“On the student side, we’re not necessarily aiming to raise a lot of money,” Tucker-Potter says. “We just want to show the University community is behind the endeavor.”
Annual Fund Officer Chad Kennerk says while there will be limited space in terms of organization tables and booths, he wants as many organizations as possible to be a part of the event.
“We’re just looking forward to creating a really cool festival atmosphere on The Mall and getting a lot of organizations to come out and be a part of it,” Kennerk says.
Students can make donations and register for the raffle online at the Student Giving Campaign link.