When the Lumberjack community steps up on NAU Giving Day, their Axe of Kindness can change lives.
A donation to NAU might help a single mother achieve her dreams. It could support research into adaptive technology for people with disabilities. It may even be the first step toward a shy political science student finding her voice and her purpose.
With NAU Giving Day coming up on May 1, we’ve assembled a few stories that highlight how your contribution helps elevate Lumberjacks throughout Arizona—whether you donate to the general fund or choose a specific area of impact.
Need more inspiration? Visit the NAU Giving Day website to see how you can help unlock more than $1 million in challenge money, peep the socks you’ll receive as a thanks for your $125 contribution and reserve your spot at the Giving Day celebration at Mother Road Brewing Company, happening from 4:30-7:30 p.m. May 1.
Inspire community service
It’s tough to find volunteer opportunities when you live in a remote area. Just ask Breanndra Bahe, a first-generation Lumberjack who grew up on the Navajo Nation.
“The first time I heard the term ‘volunteer’ was in high school,” Bahe said. “I never had the time to participate in events due to living an hour away.”
That changed when she came to NAU’s Flagstaff mountain campus. After spending a few hours volunteering at Riordan Mansion, she discovered the handy online resource Axe of Service—a website that lets NAU and Flagstaff community members find volunteer opportunities and log their service hours.
“I went to an Axe of Service event that brought together the Foster Alliance and Louie’s Cupboard,” Bahe said. “Here, I made birthday cards for teens in foster care and helped make sandwiches for the Flagstaff Family Food Center. It was an amazing experience that allowed me to see how community can make a difference in many lives.”
For the first time, Bahe looked for volunteer possibilities in her hometown. While on break from school, she reached out to a senior center near her family home to ask if they needed volunteers. Of course, they said. The rest is history: Bahe has become one of the many students who report that volunteering through Axe of Service has provided them with a sense of purpose and belonging, helped them weather tough times in their own lives and helped them forge meaningful connections.
“The lessons I learned here allowed me to think more critically about how I could help my community back home and get others involved,” Bahe said. “I learned to take initiative, think more about others and…make an impact in my community like the impact Axe of Service has made in my life.”
To support Axe of Service, select Center for Service and Volunteerism as your area of impact and fund designation.
Build confidence in people with disabilities
For many people, video games are a fun pastime. But for those with disabilities, gaming can unlock community connections and increased confidence.
Kelly Roberts, executive director of NAU’s Institute for Human Development, said a high schooler with cerebral palsy recently came to the institute’s Gaming Clinic looking for ways to interact with peers. Roberts said the student mostly uses head-controlled access to interact with technology.
“Through innovative adaptive gaming tools and customized interfaces, the student was able to participate independently, collaborate with peers and contribute strategically during gameplay,” Roberts said. “The clinic demonstrates how thoughtful design and emerging technology can remove barriers and unlock participation.”
What happened next stunned the student’s family. The student became more confident initiating conversations, more comfortable participating in group activities and more willing to try new social settings.
“The Gaming Clinic provided more than recreation,” Roberts said. “It offered a sense of belonging and an opportunity to fully engage on their own terms.”
To support the 40+ individuals with disabilities who benefit from the Gaming Clinic, select College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as your area of impact and Institute for Human Development Discretionary Fund as your fund designation.
Address Arizona’s nursing shortage
Myriah Yazzie might never have earned her nursing degree without support from the Virginia Murray Memorial Scholarship.
A single mother living off-grid, Yazzie was balancing long clinical hours, parenthood and the pressures of nursing school. She didn’t have time to worry about how she’d pay for her education.
“Because of this scholarship, I was able to continue my journey as a first-generation Diné nursing student, a single mother and someone determined to break generational barriers,” Yazzie said. The scholarship “made a real and measurable difference, not just financially but also emotionally.”
Thanks to NAU’s support, Yazzie graduated with her bachelor’s degree in nursing in December and is now pursuing intensive care unit work on the Navajo Nation. The scholarship “has changed my life, my daughter’s life and the future of the patients and communities I will serve,” she said.
To support students like Yazzie, select College of Nursing as your area of impact and Virginia Murray Memorial Scholarship Fund as your fund designation.
Help future changemakers find their voice
Madison W. came to NAU alone. She walked to class alone. On campus, she sat alone with her headphones on.
All of that changed when Gretchen Gee, her world politics professor, encouraged her to join the Model United Nations Club (MUN).
“She went to a meeting and found community,” Gee said. “She met other students interested in politics, international events, public speaking and travel. She showed up, listened, learned and began speaking up. She traveled to conferences with the MUN team, debated and negotiated with students from top universities all over the world, and she found her place and her voice.”
Next week, Madison W. is set to graduate from NAU with a 4.0 GPA, a set of lifelong friends and a new sense of purpose. She aspires to a changemaking career in politics and policy—all because of the transformative experience she had in MUN.
To support students like Madison W., select College of Social and Behavioral Sciences as your area of impact and Model United Nations or Morey Endowment for Model UN as your fund designation.
Jill Kimball | NAU Communications
(928) 523-2282 | jill.kimball@nau.edu