Spiders around the world are stepping up to assist our students as we face a global crisis. And the Student Emergency Fund is playing an important role in helping with urgent and unexpected expenses. The family of two current students offered to match gifts to the fund up to $100,000, and hundreds of donors have already responded by contributing more than $71,000 toward the goal. Preferring to remain anonymous, the family recognized the unprecedented need for emergency funds and hoped to inspire other parents and alumni.

“We are grateful beyond words,” said Kim Lebar, director of annual giving. “The Student Emergency Fund is helping students in ways we couldn’t have envisioned a short time ago. The level of need and the challenges faced by some of our students are great.”

The fund helps cover costs for students who need money to travel home, including plane and train tickets as well as gas. It also provides technology for remote learning, such as loaner laptops, software, and internet hotspots for students without internet access.

Our community is known to rally when Spiders are in need. Our deans, faculty, and staff have been working around the clock to help students get home safely and begin remote learning. The current generosity of hundreds of donors is just another example of the strength of our Spider family.

If you are in a position to help support the fund at any level, please visit helping.richmond.edu, and click on the Student Emergency Fund.