Giving Guide 2021: 13 Ways to Make a Difference

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Editor's Note:

Whether you're a first-time donor or yearly contributor, there are many funds, scholarships and programs worth donating to. You can learn more about each of the different ways to make a difference by reading our Giving Guide!

This comprehensive guide covers who receives the donation, why it's needed, and how it'll be used to benefit the recipients.


1. CHHS Student Emergency Fund

CHHS Student Emergency Fund PhotoThe College of Health and Human Services Student Emergency Fund continues to make an immediate impact on any of our students facing challenges, especially those in crisis stemming from COVID-19. With new pressures due to the pandemic the need to support our students is more important than ever.

Donate to the CHHS Student Emergency Fund here.


2. School of Social Work Student Emergency Fund

The School of Social Work is focused on helping students through a variety of learning opportunities. They are also facing emergency funding needs like many students, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With your support, social work students facing life emergencies can receive financial assistance that can keep them enrolled in school.

Donate to the School of Social Work Student Emergency Fund here.


3. School of Nursing COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund

School of Nursing COVID Relief FundThe School of Nursing has been extremely busy running the COVID-19 telehealth clinic to provide support for the EMU and surrounding community.

The department opened a COVID-19 Relief Fund and Scholarship which will assist with COVID-19 related expenses such as PPE for student labs, mask fittings for students working on the front lines, as well as additional scholarship support for nursing students who may be facing challenges due to the pandemic.

Donate to the School of Nursing COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund here.


4. Occupational Therapy Student Conference Fund

The EMU Occupational Therapy Program is raising funds to enable students to attend professional conferences. These students have been engaging in exciting research and are ready to share the results of their research at state and national conferences. Student participation in conferences helps with their professional development and advances knowledge within the profession.

As a thank you for donating to the OT Conference Fund, donations above a certain threshold will earn the following items:

$50 - "I love EMU OT" removable sticker decal 

$150 - EMU OT 30 oz. stainless steel tumbler

$250 - EMU t-shirt

$350 - free registration to the 2022 Spelbring conference

Donate to the Occupational Therapy Student Conference Fund here.


5. Swoop's Food Pantry

It’s estimated that 33-51% of college students in the U.S. experience food insecurity compared to approximately 10% of the general public. This is due to dramatic shifts in the affordability of college and the fact that many families cannot financially support their adult children.

Swoop's Food Pantry71% are “nontraditional,” meaning they may experience financial independence, are enrolled part-time, work full-time while in school, are caretakers for dependents, and/or did not receive a traditional high school diploma.

Their mission is to provide the EMU community with food assistance and additional resources to positively impact our well-being and college success. Your monetary donations to the Swoop’s Food Pantry, located in the John and Angie Sabo Swoop’s Food Pantry Room 104 Pierce, will help us keep our shelves stocked with food and household goods to combat food insecurity on campus.

Donate to Swoop's Food Pantry here.


6. Changing the Cycle Project

EMU Changing the Cycle is a program providing free, accessible menstrual products to members of the Eastern Michigan University campus community. Period poverty significantly impacts college students, particularly women of color, and first generation college students.

This program will alleviate the financial burden on these women of having to purchase period products, and allow them to easily access products in the buildings where they learn and work without stigma or shame. Your gifts to this project will help us purchase additional dispensers to be installed across campus, as well as purchase products in bulk to keep the dispensers stocked.

Donate to the Changing the Cycle Project here.


7. Dietetics & Eagle Nutrition Fund

DieteticsGifts to the Dietetics Development fund will help raise crucial funds as they hope to purchase a new DEXA Machine and update their equipment.

DEXA machines are widely considered to be the gold standard in body composition bone density testing, and an invaluable piece of equipment for students to have access to.

Donate to the Dietetics & Eagle Nutrition Fund here.


8. Exercise Science Development Fund

Exercise Science program is an exciting and rapidly growing field of study. In staying innovative and with your support to the Exercise Science Development Fund the program seeks to maintain and purchase equipment such as a metabolic cart that would meet the exercise testing, research, and teaching needs in the Exercise Science Laboratory. A metabolic cart roughly costs $30,000.

Donate to the Exercise Science Development Fund here.


9. Clinical Lab Sciences

Clinical Lab SciencesThe Clinical Lab Sciences Program uses a strong background in the basic sciences, such as biology and chemistry, to provide clinical diagnoses and monitoring of disease. This program prepares students to work in hospital settings as well as industry, academic research and forensic science.

Support to this program will enhance faculty research, and provide innovative student learning opportunities for our future scientists.

Donate to the Clinical Lab Sciences Program here.


10. Center for Interprofessional Education

The mission of the Center for Interprofessional Education, Research and Practice is to promote excellence in educational preparation and practice in prevention, wellness, and healthcare that connects disciplines, promotes teamwork, fosters mutual understanding, strengthens research, and advances health for individuals and communities.

Funds to IPE will help support innovative grants for faculty and staff that provide collaboration opportunities with students from various disciplines. Funds will also help the IPE Center host workshops to train current health care and human services students and professionals.

Donate to the Center for Interprofessional Education here.


11. Autism Collaborative Center

Autism Collaborative CenterThe Autism Collaborative Center at Eastern Michigan University is a therapeutic learning environment designed from the ground up with your child’s success in mind. Their staff is comprised of interdisciplinary professionals with specialized education and training in autism. They provide clients with a wide variety of therapeutic and behavioral services all under one roof.

When you designate your gift to the Autism Collaborative Center, the entire donation will support their mission. All funds go directly to help support the needs of those they serve.

Donate to the Autism Collaborative Center here.


12. Center for Health Disparities Innovations and Studies

The mission of the Center for Health Disparities Innovation and Studies (CHDIS) is to promote health and well-being of underserved populations with a focus on Asian Americans. During the COVID pandemic, we observed families and individuals in communities where we serve lost their loved ones and head of household; therefore, experienced tremendous economic hardship.

One of the main communities CHDIS works with is the Bangladeshi population in Hamtramck, Michigan. This community has been greatly affected by COVID-19, with a high rate of positive cases and the loss of loved ones. Since March of 2020, CHDIS has participated in distributing COVID-19 care packages, listening and educational sessions, and hosting numerous Flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics with partners in the Bangladeshi community. The fund we raise will continue to support our missions in getting people healthier and thrive and also the families impacted by COVID-19. 

Donate to the Center for Health Disparities Innovations and Studies here.


13. Physician Assistant Scholarship Fund

There is high demand for the physician assistant (PA) profession, as physician assistants (PAs) help to fill the gap in a projected shortage of primary care physicians and can practice in virtually any medical specialty. The EMU PA program facilitates students in developing critical thinking and patient-centered problem-solving skills with a practical focus to prepare them for the experiences they will encounter upon graduation. Your gift to the PA Scholarship Fund will help PA students achieve their educational goals of becoming certified and licensed to practice medicine using autonomous decision-making under the supervision of a physician.

Donate to the Physician Assistant Scholarship Fund here.


Mark your calendars for #GivingTrueday, November 30. Any donations to the funds listed above or the College of Health & Human Services at large are greatly appreciated by our faculty, students and staff.

To view all of Eastern Michigan University's ongoing projects, you can visit donate.emich.edu.