Subscribe to Spirit Magazine

How Does Texas A&M Change the World? It Starts With the Power of Caring.

At the Texas A&M Foundation, we’ll partner with you to connect your passions to campus and make a tangible impact on what you care about most.

By Chastity Carrigan ’16

Photography by Josh Lewis ’14

What do you care about? What fills your heart with joy, gets you out of bed in the morning and lights an unquenchable passion within?

The answer is unique to each person, and as I’ve worked with Aggies and friends of Texas A&M University through the years to support Aggieland, I’ve heard the question answered countless ways. But one commonality always stands out: Their desire to give back started with something they care about.
 

Chastity Carrigan ’16, senior vice president for development at the Texas A&M Foundation, has observed the impact of philanthropy throughout nearly two decades of engagement with donors.

My own answer to the question is simple, and it’s one shared by every person at the Texas A&M Foundation: We care about helping people connect their passions to campus to make a tangible impact for what matters most to them. Interacting with donors who care so deeply about our university, its students and its role in the world brings me deep joy and gratitude, and I’m truly humbled to witness their generosity every day.

This issue of Spirit is filled with such donors. Take, for instance, Cheryl Mellenthin. Cheryl’s lifelong love of animals led to her naming gift for Texas A&M University at Galveston’s new sea turtle hospital that’s helping save the endangered Kemp’s ridley. Similarly, Betty and Jim Gold ’70 and Jenny Hanlon ’89 have turned their personal and professional passions into support for future leaders in their respective fields. And Barbara and Bill Huffman ’53, whom we’re honored to name as this year’s recipients of the Foundation’s Sterling C. Evans Medal, have incredible hearts for supporting cadets, poultry science students and faculty, and more.

I’m also excited about this edition’s feature on a growing initiative that all Aggies should care about: the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts (PVFA). The arts and entertainment fields touch all people and play an incredible role in uniting us and enriching our lives — just try to imagine a world with no live music events, no children’s dance recitals, and no movie nights with friends or family!
 

The feature takes you behind the scenes on the young college, sharing how Aggieland’s long-awaited arts school elevates Texas A&M among top-tier universities and shapes professionals prepared to lead the arts’ future in today’s rapidly advancing technological world. But the college needs the support of caring Aggies to help it reach its full potential.

And that’s true of every area at Texas A&M. The university is doing incredible things for our state, nation and world. But none of its impact or accomplishments would be possible without the generous and humbling support of people who believe in its capacity as a force for good, people who joyfully become the shoulders for future generations to stand on, and above all, people who care enough to do what they can, big or small, to change the world through the place they love — Texas A&M University.

Gig ’em,

Chastity Carrigan ’16
Senior Vice President for Development
Texas A&M Foundation

Tagged with:
Previous Story
Contact

  • Chastity Carrigan '16

  • Senior Vice President for Development
  • Call: 979.599.7980

Make Your Impact

Give Now