So many of us have such busy schedules that routinely checking websites or Facebook pages just drops to the bottom of the “to do” list. Make sure that you never miss a post from the Joan Iversen blog: simply add your email to the blog mailing list. You’ll receive a notification in your email in-box to let you know that a new post has been published.

The mailing list sign-up is in the upper right corner of the blog just below the long picture that sits at the top of the blog (see red arrows in the image below). Simply put your email in the box–you’ll receive an email notice asking you to click on the link to verify that you really want to be added. Click the link and that’s it, you’re done! You’ll be notified about each post in the future.

What to Get for the Person Who Has Everything?

Do you have someone on your gift list who’s really difficult to find the right gift for and who really appreciates meaningful gifts? Consider giving a gift that shapes the future and honors the legacy of a transformative teacher, Dr. Joan Iversen. Even gifts of $25 can make a difference — read this blog post to see why.

A link to a gift letter is provided, below, that you can download; it could be wrapped up in a box, placed in a stocking, or sent by email. And if you would like, we’ll even acknowledge your gift recipient online.

Just give to the scholarship in one of the two ways:

• Checks can be made out to the “College at Oneonta Foundation” memo: “Dr. Joan Iversen Memorial Scholarship”-mail to: Office of College Advancement, 308 Netzer Admin Bldg, Oneonta, NY 13820. If you desire, you may add a note that you are donating as a gift in someone else’s name, and add the recipient’s name and address (this is optional).
• To give to the scholarship online, donate to the College at Oneonta Foundation and choose “Other” under Designation for Funds and specify “Dr. Joan Iversen Memorial Scholarship” in the text box after “Other.” If you desire, you may also add a note that you are donating as a gift in someone else’s name, and add the recipient’s name and address (this is optional).

Letter Describing the gift

A letter that you can give to the recipient that describes the gift can be downloaded below. Two versions are provided, click on the link for the one that you want:

• an Adobe pdf version of the Scholarship Gift Letter (which requires Adobe Acrobat reader, a free program, to use). This is provided for people who don’t want to bother editing anything and who are afraid they will mess up the formatting of the document. Click on the red link above. It may take about 20 seconds or so to load, but your browser should open up the document. Then place your cursor on the document, RIGHT-click, and choose “Save As” to save to your computer. This usually will be saved in your “Downloads” folder.
• a Word document version of the Scholarship Gift Letter. The Word file will allow you edit the document– feel free to edit as you desire. Once you click on this link, the file should automatically download to your computer. This usually will be saved in your “Downloads” folder.

Have the Gift Recipient Acknowledged Online

If desired, send an email to Nancy Smyth at smythnj at gmail dot com indicating that you would to have the name of your gift recipient listed in the donors section of the drjoaniversen.com website and describe how you want it listed (and if you want your name listed, too…see the two options below).

1) Gift Made in the Name of John Doe

OR

2) Gift Made in the Name of John Doe by Your Name

Thanks for considering this creative approach to gift giving that also helps to make the world a better place.

Photo courtesy of Anne G. on Flickr

I began a blog presence for this scholarship fund in a dedicated page on my own blog, Virtual Connections. However, several people had creative suggestions for periodic updates and content that would help convey who my mother was. As I thought more about doing this I realized the blog needed its own space, both to allow people to more easily follow scholarship blog updates, and for the readers of Virtual Connections to stay focused on the content themes that they chose to follow. So here begins this new blog, one dedicated to honoring my mother, Dr. Joan Smyth Iversen, through sharing recollections and building the scholarship that will continue her legacy.

I anticipate a two primary types of posts, those focused on scholarship fund updates, and others focused on sharing recollections. I hope the recollections will come from a wide range of people: former students, colleagues, friends, and family. Over time, some other ideas for post will probably unfold, as well.

~ Nancy Smyth