Most days when I scroll down my Facebook newsfeed and see a plethora of repeated posts featuring the same article, BuzzFeed quiz or embarrassing middle school photo, I try to avoid it.
However, midterms week brought a refreshing change of pace. Between cramming for today’s essay and tomorrow’s exam, Facebook distracted me with articles and videos that I couldn’t have felt better dedicating my time to.
Social media was recently consumed with statuses about the secret fundraising the student body has been raising for the Acorn sandwhich shop employee. The mission: to send her and her family to Disney World.
Organized by students Lucy Smith-Williams and Taylor Zisholtz, a GoFundMe page has been circulating the students of Elon University for several weeks. Prior to its outrageous success, I have overheard many student-lead conversations in the leading weeks about how proud they are to be a part of such a generous group of peers. While it’s easy to hear such a lavish goal sting the shallow pockets of a college student’s wallet, there was no contribution too small that was unworthy of the task at hand.
No student at Elon University is stranger to the Acorn essence, just as no student is foreign to the friendly faces that work there. Whether it’s picking up a large coffee before heading to an 8 a.m. or grabbing lunch between classes, all Elon undergrads are acquainted with the worthy winner of the fundraising, Kathryn Thompson.
Don’t get us wrong, Elon University already has plenty to brag about. Whether it is the fact that we had an online explosion in our a capella group Twisted Measure’s performance of "Chandelier" or that we’ve won consecutive titles as “Prettiest College Campus,” this one is a new ballgame.
Initially, this small miracle was rightfully recognized by local platforms, such as the school’s newspaper “The Pendulum” and the university’s news source “Elon Local News.” But, it didn’t take long for big names to recognize the big things that were happening on a small campus.
Major outlets such as the Huffington Post, Fox, and a variety of other sites have directed their attention to the humanity and rawness captured by this good deed.
Though it doesn’t surprise me, I couldn’t be more honored to say that I participated in and associate myself with such acts of kindness. Oftentimes, I feel that most notoriety received by people of the college age is bad press. However, this refreshing spotlight emphasizes the pay-it-forward acts that young adults are capable of.
Here’s to you Lucy Smith-Williams and Taylor Zisholtz. And here’s a three cheers to the Elon students in helping them achieve this goal.
As Walt Disney once said, “If you can dream it, you can do it,” and Elon University – we did it!
Watch Lucy and Taylor reveal their surprise to Kathryn below:
