Early life lesson impacts student giving

Each fall, students in a sales and fundraising course in the Department of Health and Sport Science compete in a philanthropy tournament to win money to donate to a nonprofit organization of their choice.

Students deliver their pitch to a panel of their fellow students and select the top four. An alumni panel of judges makes the final decision, awarding a $2,100 cash prize to the winner to donate in their name. Second-place finishers earn $1,100, and third and fourth place win $750 each.

Senior sport and wellness major Lucy Couch won the 2021 tournament with her presentation on Can Do MS, an organization whose mission is to deliver health and wellness education programs to help families living with multiple sclerosis. She said she chose this nonprofit because of its efforts to fight the stigma of multiple sclerosis and help families cope with and manage the diagnosis of a loved one. 

Students in recent years have donated their first-place prizes to Dayton Children's Hospital, PORT Health, New Beginnings Recovery Mission and Disabled Sports USA.

Multiple sclerosis has affected Couch and her family for more than a decade.

“Why didn’t my mom’s doctor include the whole family in the treatment plan?” Couch asked during her presentation.

She then described how the program at Can Do MS embraces the inclusivity of the whole family dealing with multiple sclerosis. The program emphasizes that the disease is a “we disease” and focuses on the mental health of the family members.

“We might not get to choose what is thrown our way but we absolutely get to choose how to cope.”

“We might not get to choose what is thrown our way but we absolutely get to choose how to cope,” Couch said.  

UD’s Gary Mioli Leadership in Community Fund makes these donations possible. The fund was created to honor the legacy of Gary Mioli ’79, who dedicated his life to leading young men both on and off the football field and embodied the University values of learn, lead, and serve.

The sales and fundraising class also earned local media attention for their contributions to other organizations. View the Dayton Daily News story and the ABC22/Fox45 story.