CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Penn State will celebrate 10 years of GivingTuesday on Dec. 3 — and the Penn State Lehigh Valley (PSU-LV) Office of Alumni Relations and Development invites alumni and friends to participate in this anniversary milestone by making a gift to support enhancements being made to the campus music room.
The Penn State Lehigh Valley Markowitz Music Room has been an epicenter for creativity and the home for the campus Music Club since its inception in 2012. Inspired by their parents’ commitment to music and education, the children of Martha and Jerome Markowitz gifted the PSU-LV campus the music room in their honor. A unique space for music, podcasting and other multi-media activities, the students involved in Music Club rely on this space to access equipment to assist in the development of various creative talents as well as build community on campus. The music room serves as a hub for student collaboration, with weekly rehearsals culminating in annual performances at various campus gatherings including admissions events, alumni dinners and pep rallies.
PSU-LV students are incredibly grateful for the space, tools and community the music room has provided over the last twelve years. However, many students bring their personal instruments from home, leaving a potential gap in equipment for future musicians. Gifts made on GivingTuesday would allow the music room to purchase instruments and sound equipment for future PSU-LV students to ensure the same opportunities for creative development as their peers.
“Music is a way for us to connect with ourselves and each other,” says Julius Santos, senior criminal justice student. Santos, who has been involved with the club all four of his years at PSU-LV, currently serves as the Music Club president. “My mission in leading the PSU-LV Music Club is to grow the local community together and express ourselves through music."
True to Penn State GivingTuesday tradition, the celebration is kicking off early on Monday, Dec. 2, at 18:55 (6:55 p.m. EST) — a nod to the year in which the University was founded. Those interested in contributing to the Music Room enhancements or establishing a personal fundraising page as a campaign advocate can learn more here .
Gifts made on GivingTuesday advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.qqzhangui.com.