BHP Class of 2015 at the Make-a-Mark finale event.
Every year, the BHP senior class coordinates and contributes to the Make-a-Mark scholarship campaign. The campaign plays a crucial role in the growth of the BHP by contributing needed funding for merit-based recruiting scholarships. This year’s campaign, which culminated this past Thursday with a finale event, was the most successful campaign to date!
The BHP Class of 2015 exceeded their $20,000 goal, raising $27,488 with 100 percent participation from their class. The campaign also received $63,036 in contributions from faculty and friends of the program. Long-time BHP supporters Will and Beverly O’Hara generously contributed $60,000 of those funds. The total raised from this year’s campaign was a whopping $90,524. These funds will go into the Make-a-Mark endowment, which spins off funding each year for merit-based scholarships.
Will and Beverly were present at the finale event and shocked everyone when Beverly announced that they were going to double the $30,000 they had initially agreed to contribute to the campaign to $60,000 to honor the class for such a successful campaign. They had initially pledged to match the $20,000 student goal dollar-for-dollar, with an additional $5,000 if the class reached $20,000, and another additional $5,000 if they had 100 percent participation.
Will O’Hara was an accounting lecturer for 10 years and taught the BHP Managerial Accounting (312H) class for two years before stepping away from the role in 2013. This year’s senior class was the last class he taught and Beverly wanted to honor Will and this class and celebrate their graduation in a special way.
“Make-a-Mark is not only about raising funds for scholarships, but also about developing a habit of giving back,” says Will O’Hara. “Being lucky enough to have taught BHP students was one of the most rewarding things I ever did and we wanted to say ‘farewell’ in a special way.”
The BHP’s dream is to offer fifty percent of students some kind of financial aid. The success of this year’s campaign has certainly contributed to that goal. A big thank you to the O’Haras, the BHP senior class, and the faculty who were so supportive of the campaign. Also a huge thank you to the 2015 Make-a-Mark committee and co-chairs, whose names are below, for leading such a successful campaign.
2015 Make-a-Mark Co-chairs: Neal Makkar and Morgan Lunday
2015 Make-a-Mark Committee: Elise Loney, Jacob Spangler, Melissa Jones, Kiefer Shenk, Tommy Moore, Adam Petras, Lisa Kao, Neha Vaidya, Angela Morisette, Becky Pickert
Will and Beverly O’Hara with co-chairs Morgan Lundy and Neal Makkar.