August 22, 2010; Source: Chronicle of Higher Education | A donor has offered a cool million to Stevens College in Columbia, Mo. on one condition: The staff of the college must lose 250 pounds by January. To “sweeten the deal” the donor has further challenged the school’s president to personally lose 25 pounds to win a bonus $100,000.
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Dianne M. Lynch, the president in question is not offended and in fact the whole deal was her idea—kind of. Apparently after the donor had informed Lynch that she needed to lose weight, the president, herself, bravely suggested that they make the deal. Talk about turning lemons into a fine drink! Apparently the 87-year-old donor is one of those irritating people who have not gained an ounce since her twenties and likes to brag about it. Despite an original “yikes, how embarrassing” reaction, in my mind this sounds like a good deal all around and I welcome similar offers from potential NPQ donors!
In nearby Kansas, meanwhile, at the Mitchell County Regional Medical Foundation, Susan Concannon was opening her mail one morning when she came across a nondescript envelope which when opened contained a single lottery ticket, later found to have been bought at a nearby gas station, and an anonymous note. When checking it against the winning numbers, she and a colleague found that the ticket was worth $10,000. “The person obviously is a reflection of our community and the generosity that this community has,” the Hospital CEO said Saturday. “That’s the amazing part of the story. All that trust in sending an unsigned ticket to a foundation.”—Ruth McCambridge
