Every piece of the College experience is special: the community, the classes, the culture and character. But, once it’s all said and done, it’s what we do with those pieces – how we put it all together – that gives it so much meaning.
And, when Rhonda Whiting saw all the CofC clothing her daughter Miranda Whiting Lank ’15 brought home after graduation, she decided to put it all together to make a very special CofC T-shirt quilt.
“I did a little Googling to find out how to make a quilt from T-shirts, mashed together a few ideas and made something that my daughter ended up loving,” says Whiting, a loyal annual donor who – together with her husband, Bill – has supported many areas on campus, including the history department, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Excellence Fund, the Student Emergency Fund, the College of Charleston Fund and the Parents’ Fund. And, as a Cougar Online Ambassador, Whiting has also led the way in encouraging fellow parents to support the College.
That philanthropic spirit combined with her newfound quilt-making skills gave her an idea. “I figured I could put this together and maybe it could be used as a fundraiser,” says Whiting, who gave her second quilt to the College’s Annual Giving Office to use as a prize for the student philanthropy organization, Committed to Charleston. “I thought it could be used as a fundraising incentive – to attract students to join.”
She was right – in fact, the students loved it so much, Whiting made another quilt for this year’s March Matchness campaign.
“I’m happy that I have found a way to give back using my talent,” says Whiting, who lives in Greenville, S.C. “It shows that donations don’t all have to be big financial gifts.”
After all, when you put together enough little pieces, it adds up to something very meaningful indeed.
