How the campaign helps students, one at a time

When Cornell parents Barry and Jill Lafer looked for a way to get involved with the university, they chose to endow an undergraduate scholarship.

"There are a lot of kids who deserve help," says Jill Lafer. "We liked the idea of it being personal, making an impact on an individual."

Their gift, which is earmarked to help students from low-income, single-parent households, has already made a big impact on two individuals: Timothy Chow '08 and Aaron Stehura '09, both recipients of the Lafer Family Scholarship.

A student in the College of Human Ecology, Chow is majoring in human biology, health and society with a concentration in communication. He expects to pursue a career in medicine.

"It's a career full of opportunities to give back to the underserved," he says. "I've been incredibly lucky in my life, and a college education has made me realize that not everyone out there has the health care that I have been fortunate enough to receive."

Stehura is majoring in engineering physics. Recently, he has split his time between the Cornell campus and co-op work at Space Systems/LORAL, a satellite manufacturer in California.

"I'm actually applying my coursework and learning things that wouldn't otherwise be covered at Cornell," he wrote in a recent letter to the Lafers. "It is my intention to work in industry for a while before returning to a university for my doctorate so I can assist others with their intellectual pursuits."

Stehura was 5 years old when his father died of complications related to diabetes.

"I believe he would have been proud to see me get a degree from Cornell, especially since he was a college graduate himself," he says. "The Lafers' kind gift is helping me fulfill a longstanding goal."

Far Above ... The Campaign for Cornell aims to raise $640 million for students, including $200 million for endowed undergraduate scholarships. In addition to creating opportunity for deserving students like Chow and Stehura, these scholarships will build community among people who might not otherwise meet, and they will bind generations of Cornellians together. The story of the Lafers and the students they have helped is just one example.

"If we can help just a little, we're glad," says Barry Lafer, who along with his wife attended an annual reception that brings together scholarship donors and recipients.

Chow says the Lafer Family Scholarship, and the relationship that has resulted from it, has helped with more than just the cost of tuition and books.

"I have updated them about my progress here at Cornell, writing to them to tell them about grades, the activities I'm in, the hardships I'm facing," he says.

"I know donors don't have to contact their students but the Lafers are not just donors to me, they are like a second family that really cares about how I am doing right now and where I will be in the future."

The impact of philanthropy doesn't get much more personal than that.

Bryce T. Hoffman is a writer for Cornell's Alumni Affairs and Development.

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