A letter of thanks to the Sweet Briar community

Posted on March 04, 2016 by Staff Writer

My fellow alumnae and friends,

This spring at Sweet Briar — especially this year — a hopeful and compelling call to action requires us to continue as servant leaders and devotees of the College.


Mary Pope Hutston ’83 Mary Pope Hutston ’83


Philanthropy is defined by the Greeks as “the love of humanity” and in the Oxford English Dictionary as the “desire to promote the welfare of others.”

Our collective servant leadership was demonstrated in the last year through unmatched generosity for Sweet Briar College. We must continue to commit to this endeavor to promote the empowerment of others: the next generation of women leaders in America.

The last 24 hours made a statement that women’s liberal arts colleges matter today and Sweet Briar College in particular matters more than ever. In the coming week, we aim for our next milestone: to raise $500,000 matching yesterday’s 841 gifts. This milestone is a symbolic and important statement to honor our founder and signal our gratitude for one woman’s intentional and selfless act of philanthropy that has provided a transformational experience for women for 115 years. The impact you and so many others have made on society is unparalleled.

Our stewardship of Sweet Briar at this moment in time is something we ask you to commit to for the foreseeable future. You have shown all of us who work at the College that the relevance of Sweet Briar is urgent and timely. Please help us to raise $1 million by March 10 and $30 million by June 30. If not you, who? If not now, when? Next is NOW.

Thank you for your generosity, unwavering loyalty and love of a College that for over a century has produced women of consequence and with your help, will endure in perpetuity.

Gratefully,

Mary Pope M. Hutson ’83
Vice President for Alumnae Relations & Development