Alumni, faculty, staff and friends of UNC Charlotte gathered at the Myers Park Country Club for the annual Bonne E. Cone Society Luncheon on Tuesday, June 13.
This special group of friends have named the UNC Charlotte Foundation as the beneficiary of a planned gift. Commonly donated through wills or trusts, planned gifts also can include charitable gift annuities or gifts of life insurance. These planned gifts have strengthened and advanced the University through student scholarships, endowed faculty chairs, enhanced campus experiences and impactful research initiatives.
The annual luncheon is a way for the University to show appreciation for and acknowledge such generous donors. UNC Charlotte is in the midst of its largest capital campaign in history, EXPONENTIAL, with a goal of $200 million.
“As members of the Cone Society, you are shaping the future of UNC Charlotte,” said Provost Joan Lorden in her remarks at the luncheon. “You enable us to hire senior faculty who bring expertise and leadership. You help provide fellowships that enable us to recruit graduate students from around the world. You support our students, so many who would not be here except for the generosity of others. I know you are in this room because you value quality educational experiences.”
Guests also were treated to a presentation by Heather Perry, a UNC Charlotte history professor. Perry shared some of the unique ways that she engages her students – including assigning them avatars, or specific identities, to help bring history to life. Perry is inspired by Miss Bonnie's legacy to seek creative ways to engage and motivate her students to become personally active within their community.
During the luncheon, the members of the Bonnie E. Cone Society were encouraged to sign their names in the special society registry.
Miss Bonnie believed that fundraising must be an educational priority, and she made her own planned gift bequest to UNC Charlotte. This monetary support was in addition to her lifetime of gifts bestowed upon the University, including her indomitable energy and courage.
Miss Bonnie kept a special saying from Edward Everett Hale on her desk – words that she modeled her life after. “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. What I can do, I ought to do, and what I ought to do, by the Grace of God, I will do.”