Jagathon Fundraising Legacies

Kira Couch and Macy Rogers are two fundraising superstars within their four years of Jagathon! 

In Kira's four years with Jagathon, she served as a Fundraising Committee Chair, Director of Campus Outreach, Director of Fundraising, and Director of Special Ceremonies. Over the four years in these positions, Kira raised over $21,000, which makes her Jagathon's Top Overall Fundraiser in the program's history! 

This past year while serving as Jagathon 2020 President, Macy fundraised so much that is ranked her as a Riley Collegiate Top 10 Fundraiser, the first in Jagathon history! Throughout her time in Jagathon, Macy was also a particpant, Family Relations Chair, and Director of Hospitality before serving as Jagathon President. 

Keep reading to learn more about Kira and Macy's stories and inspiration!

"Where do I even begin!? Jagathon was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and it continues to hold such a special place in my heart. When I joined this organization as part of the Fundraising Committee my freshman year, I was excited to meet new people and continue living out my passion of helping sick kids, but I was nervous about raising money for this new cause. I had been involved with fundraising for a childhood cancer research organization, the Swifty Foundation, for a couple years in high school, but that was back in Illinois. I was worried not only that my community might be tired of me asking for donations, but also that they would not feel connected enough to give to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, IN. You can imagine, then, how elated and grateful I felt as my tribe of miracle-makers rallied to take me above and beyond my fundraising goal during my first year with Jagathon. This tribe only continued to grow in breadth and depth after that, and 3 years on the Executive Board, 58.1 hours on my feet FTK, 13.1 miles (sorta) ran, and 1 bald head later, they had broken a record. Throughout my 4 years in Jagathon, these inspiring people banded together to contribute more money to my fundraising efforts than any other participant in Jagathon history: $21,018.99!

This was never a record I set out to break (or even knew I did until a couple weeks ago). For me, fundraising for Jagathon was never really about the mere dollars and cents, but rather the people on both the giving and receiving ends. Instead of just asking people for money, I invited them to contribute to and thus be part of something bigger than themselves. I began within my comfort zone of family members, friends, and whoever might have scrolled past my general posts on Facebook. Before I knew it, though, I was writing letters to my parents’ coworkers, DMing my sister’s softball teammates, emailing all my K-12 teachers, and making announcements to full lecture halls. I must have made the pitch to almost everyone I knew in one way or another! Every time someone accepted that invitation, I could not help but smile because I knew they were experiencing the joy I felt every single day supporting Jagathon’s mission. 

More importantly, though, I knew how great of an impact their contribution would make on the kids fighting for their lives at Riley and beyond. Medical research funding is so hard to come by, especially in the realm of pediatrics. Every penny that investigators can muster is precious because you never know which experiment or trial holds the next leukemia treatment for kids like Mickey or spina bifida breakthrough for kids like Addy. These are just a couple of the brave youngins that became like family to me during my time in Jagathon, and they deserve the best possible care, along with every other child suffering from illness or injury. Every donation I helped facilitate to pediatric research was an investment in hope for these sweet kiddos. I truly cannot think of a more worthwhile way to have spent my college years."