LA PLATA, Md. – Anticipation is starting to build as the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Foundation gears up for #GivingTuesday, the annual international
day of online giving that follows Black Friday, Small Business Saturday
and Cyber Monday. The 24-hour event scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27
focuses on the giving season by inspiring people to collaborate and give
to their communities following their post-Thanksgiving holiday spending
sprees.

“Giving Tuesday reminds us all to keep our perspective about the
meaning of giving,” said CSM Foundation Director Linda Cox. “The holiday
season can be frantic and Giving Tuesday gives us pause to slow down,
reflect and make meaningful gifts of every size to help change lives
here at home in Southern Maryland.”

“Each year on Giving Tuesday, I keep our families’ promise to help the
students who are our future,” she said, explaining that she and her
husband Donnie established the Cox Family Memorial Endowed Scholarship
at CSM in 2002 in memory of his mom Marguerite. For more than a decade,
the Cox Family Memorial Endowed Scholarship has supported full- and
part-time CSM students, as well as continuing education students.
However, since 2002, Donnie, his brother, sister and father have all
passed away which makes #GivingTuesday that much more special, and
important to Cox.

“On November 27, I will replenish the endowment in the names of so many
who are so dear to me,” Cox shared. “Because every little bit helps –
for some learners in very big ways, and for some, in small ways – but it
all helps.”

In addition, many generous donors throughout the community have already
pledged to match donations during #GivingTuesday, dollar for dollar.
When the online event begins Nov. 27, givers can choose one of the
designated matching funds to double their donation. Cox is among those
offering to match the first $1,000 donated to her family’s memorial
scholarship. Others include:

• Southern Maryland Women’s League Scholarship, established in 2009 in
support of students who are single parents or children of a
single-parent household. The first $500 will be matched.
• Hempstead Family Scholarship, established in 2017 by Nancy Hempstead
in support of Calvert County residents who graduated from a Calvert
County Public High School. The first $1,000 will be matched.
• Nyce Annual Scholarship, established in 2014 by Valerie Nyce in
support of students who reside in Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s
counties. The first $1,500 will be matched.
• Zonta Annual Scholarship, established in 2012 in support of students
who reside in Southern Maryland and want to improve the status of women.
The first $2,000 will be matched.
• Peter Cangelosi Memorial Scholarship, established in 2014 by Laurie
and Raymond Cangelosi in memory of their son. This award supports
students majoring in a medical field. The first $3,000 will be matched.
• Mary I. Shasho Memorial Endowed Scholarship, established in 2016 by
Harry A. Shasho in memory of his wife. This award supports Criminal
Justice majors who reside in Southern Maryland. The first $10,000 will
be matched.

“Mary Shasho was the ultimate volunteer,” Shasho recently said of his
wife. “She was proudest of her work with the Charles County Sheriff’s
Office and starting the Explorer Program which has since turned into the
[Charles County Sheriff’s Office’s] cadet program. I am sure Mary would
be happy to see more people follow into law enforcement and CSM is a
great avenue to help young people attain a degree.”

Last year, during the 24-hour online event, 370 donors gave $123,124 in
the spirit of #GivingTuesday. The college surpassed its 2017 its goal
when donations ranged from just a few dollars to the Salta family’s
$15,000 matching donation, which added up to more than a 70 percent
increase over the prior year’s giving. This donation from the Salta
family established the Salta Family and DirectMail.com Scholarship to
support students who are student athletes or Marketing/Business majors.
The Salta family has generously agreed to again match all donations made
to the CSM Foundation on #GivingTuesday, up to $15,000.

This year, along with the generosity shown to scholarships, the CSM
Foundation hopes to raise money for the Student Success Fund, which is
an unrestricted fund that will support the student’s overall success at
CSM. 

“Monies in the Student Success Fund will help us with needed and
necessary amenities,” Cox explained, citing the need for additional
mental health services, job search assistance, campus-wide technology
upgrades, athletic sports gear and transportation for CSM student
athletes.

“For the past six years, the remarkable giving spirit of the Southern
Maryland community has shown bright,” continued Cox. “We hope to harness
the power of generosity for all of our students again this year.”

For more information about CSM’s #GivingTuesday event, visit the CSM
Foundation website at Foundation.csmd.edu/GivingTuesday.

About CSM
During 2018, the College of Southern Maryland celebrates its 60th
anniversary. Established as part of the continuing expansion of the
community college in America, Charles County Junior College opened Sept.
17, 1958. The La Plata Campus was established at its present location in
1968, with college services expanding to St. Mary’s County in 1978 and
Calvert County in 1980. For information about the college’s history,
visit http://news.csmd.edu/60th/.

Today, CSM is a regionally accredited community college that provides
programs and services with a special focus on local workforce
development to maintain and grow a healthy economy and community. CSM
serves more than 24,000 credit and continuing education students at its
campuses located in Hughesville, La Plata, Leonardtown and Prince
Frederick, as well as a Higher Education Center shared with University
of Maryland University College in Waldorf and a Center for
Transportation Training in La Plata. For information about CSM, call
301-934-7765 or visit www.csmd.edu. For information on employment at
CSM, visit www.csmd.edu/employment.

#GivingTuesday Background
#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that encourages philanthropy
and celebrates generosity worldwide. Founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street
Y – a community and cultural center in New York City − #GivingTuesday
inspired millions of people to give back and support the causes they
believe in. More than $300 million was raised online to benefit a
tremendously broad range of organizations, and much more was given in
volunteer hours, donations of food and clothing, and acts of kindness.
“We are incredibly inspired by the way the #GivingTuesday community has
embraced this concept for a worldwide movement,” said Henry Timms,
founder of #GivingTuesday and Executive Director of 92Y. “As we prepare
for November 27, we’re energized and encouraged by the community’s
generosity. The levels of creativity, effort and the quality of the new
ideas people have contributed and shared are phenomenal.” Learn more at
https://www.givingtuesday.org/