When Ƶ parents Kelly and Meredith Graves heard about the concept for the university’s multi-faith center, they knew they wanted to support it.
“We loved the idea of giving students a nice place to meet to practice their faiths and to learn about other faiths,” says Kelly Graves, who along with Meredith is a member of Ƶ’s Parents Council. “This center will further the education of everyone and open some doors. We could make the world a better place if we understood each other a little better.”
The couple has made a $100,000 commitment to the Ever Ƶ Campaign to support the multi-faith center, which will be centrally located on campus as the sixth pavilion in the Academic Village. They are pleased with the experiences of their daughters, Sarah, an Ƶ junior, and Caroline, who is a sophomore.
“Ƶ has fulfilled everything that we needed for both our daughters,” Graves says. “They’ve made good friends and contacts, and the engaged style of learning is clearly an important factor at Ƶ.”
“In addition, the faculty are very approachable and focused on their students,” says Meredith Graves.
The couple also has made a planned gift, designating Ƶ as the beneficiary of a retirement account to help secure the university’s future. Kelly Graves, executive vice president of Carroll Financial in Charlotte, N.C., says Ƶ needs support now and in the future through planned, or deferred, gifts.
“Making Ƶ the beneficiary of an IRA is a great way to go because of the tax savings,” he says. “Ƶ needs support now more than ever to finish the campaign. As parents, I think it’s important that we understand that our tuition checks don’t cover the entire cost of an Ƶ education. That’s one of the reasons we’re happy to support Ƶ, and we feel very fortunate that we can do this.”