Family Ties Provide Inspiration for Gift

Donald Green did not graduate from IUP, but his family legacy with the university is strong thanks to his mother, Isabella Wilkinson Green, and one of her lifelong friends, Kathryn Cepull-Wholeslagle, whom he lovingly refers to as his aunt.

After completing a two-year program at Carnegie Tech, Donald's mother came to Indiana, PA to attend the State Teacher's College for a four-year program. She would travel by train from Turtle Creek, PA with a trunk full of her belongings, now on display in Ackerman Hall, home to the Hospitality Management program. In 1927 she was one of the first two students to receive their bachelor's degree in home economics from the college. She would often share stories of her time here and her coursework, which focused on the preparation of meals.

Donald realized the importance of this period of her life, saying, "Women didn't get much credit in those days. She was very independent and avid about women's suffrage, often traveling to downtown Pittsburgh for women's voting rights parades." To honor her accomplishments and serve as an extension of her time at college, he recently designated a transformative gift to the Allenwood Restaurant in Ackerman Hall. The restaurant provides hands-on learning for students in food production techniques, safe food handling procedures, team building, communication and leadership skills.

As a successful investment professional, Donald has always looked for different strategies to fund his charitable interests. Donald made his first gift to the Foundation for IUP in 2008 and was the first donor to do so through a charitable gift annuity. Prior to his recent commitment to the Allenwood, he established the Isabella Wilkinson-Green and Kathryn Cepull-Woleslagle Scholarship that aids students with good academic standing who are also engaged in community service. "I feel that anyone who is the recipient of such an award should give something back to society," says Donald.

He shared that there are many ways to receive charitable tax deductions that benefit students—and under the care of the Foundation for IUP, the market value of his fund increased as well as the number of scholarship awards made to students each year. While helping students through his charitable contributions is important to Donald, so is honoring the legacy of his mother.

To learn how you can make a gift that will impact future generations, contact Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 724-357-5661 or university-advancement@iup.edu today.