Dominican was one of dozens of universities across the state affected by recent cuts to the state’s MAP Grant program earlier this year. Many students at the university rely on the college assistance program to pay tuition and other student fees. But as the new school year ramped up, most of the university’s student body was focused less on what had been taken away than on paying forward what they’ve have.
Last weekend, the college’s faculty members and staff gathered on campus during DU Fest, the university’s annual start of the year kickoff that promotes various extracurricular activities across campus, to collect school supplies for students at St. Catherine-St. Lucy School in Oak Park and a school in Maywood. In all, the college collected about $1,000 worth of supplies, with each school getting half of that. The students dropped the supplies off to both schools on Aug. 30.
“The ability to give back, even as a college kid, is just so important,” said Gabby Johnson, the university’s women’s basketball head coach who helped organize the event. “School supplies are so important. Just $5 will make a kid’s year.”
Michael Romain
