Dillon Hagy, of Allentown, an entrepreneurship and small
business major at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, has been selected for the
2017 Foundation of Indiana University of Pennsylvania Community Volunteer
Service Award.
Hagy, son of Scott Hagy and Robin
Hagy, is a dean’s list student and graduate of Emmaus High School. He previously served as
the philanthropy chairman of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, overseeing the events
to raise money to donate to Lou Gehrig Disease research. He is a member of the Future Entrepreneurs Club.
A
United States Army veteran, is the founder and president of IUP’s Military
Philanthropic Organization. He decided to start the organization to help change
the lives of fellow veterans.
After
serving with the military in Afghanistan, Hagy said he understood the needs of
numerous veterans, ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder to homelessness. Having a passion for helping fellow soldiers, Hagy decided
to start his own organization at IUP to give back to veterans.
He describes his volunteering philosophy
as “pick your passion, and go give back.” He believes that there are various
causes that benefit people, animals, and the environment. He believes that not
one person can help all the causes, and individuals should not all focus on one
cause.
During the fall 2016 semester, Hagy recruited 22 members for
the organization. Some of the members are veterans or military affiliated;
others are not. The group is a mixture of men and women.
The MPO has already provided help to veterans and
military-affiliated families. Outreach efforts include raising $1,200 for a
retired Marine’s family to purchase a new iPad for autism therapy sessions and
dance lessons for their daughter; raising $1,000 to purchase a new bed for a
local veteran; and providing household items for a veteran who was a victim of
local flooding. Hagy and the MPO have a goal to raise $3,000 to donate to the
Wounded Warrior Family Support charity.
The group also is committed to doing hands-on work to make a
difference in the lives of veterans and military-affiliated families. In
September, the group did repairs on a home of a family of a deployed soldier.
The
Foundation for IUP Community Service Volunteer Award recognizes both student volunteerism at IUP and the
volunteer commitment of the Foundation for IUP board of directors. It was established
in June 1998 in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Foundation for IUP.
To be eligible for the award, students must be engaged in volunteer community
service that exceeds any requirement for a class project, organizational membership,
scholarship, or other obligatory circumstance.
The Foundation for IUP is an independent, nonprofit, charitable 501(c)(3)
corporation, organized in 1967 to promote and support the educational purposes
of IUP. The Foundation acts as the repository for private financial support and
has fiduciary and legal responsibilities for the management, investment, and
disbursement of the funds and for the conduct of all the organization’s
affairs.
The Foundation manages nearly $335 million in
assets, approximately $59 million in endowed funds, and $238 million in real
estate. The Foundation also accepts and maintains ownership of nonfinancial
gifts, such as objects of art.