Grandparents Go Virtual

We know Knights are generous and actively support their local communities and UCF, so in support of #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day to celebrate the creative ways humankind has been helping each other during the pandemic, we asked the Knights community to share positive stories of themselves or other Knights and how they’re exemplifying community service during the global pandemic. And Knight Nation delivered!

Here is the story of alumna Lillian Hobson ’14 ’16:

“I volunteer for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County FL, Inc. We typically hold five support group meetings each month as well as a “Parent Survival Training” group counseling session. This time of year, we also host a six-week educational session called TARGET Training. We have had to scramble to find a way to hold these sessions in a virtual setting. Many of our grandparents aren’t computer savvy (myself included) so a small group of us are putting information together to host meetings on Zoom and Facebook Live! Although some days it feels we’re all lost, we are getting through this together! This forced me outside of my comfort zone to learn “a new trick” because the grandparents really need our guidance and to be able to see our Executive Director, Mary Ann. We will muddle through the next few weeks and hopefully be able to use these platforms in the future even when we aren’t on a “Stay at Home” order!“

While we are inspired by these generous acts of kindness shared with us, we hope it inspires you make a positive change in the lives of others. You can show your generosity in a variety of ways during #GivingTuesdayNow, whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill or giving to causes. Every act of compassions counts.

If you feel compelled to support the UCF community during this time, there are various ways to get involved:

• Make a gift to support student scholarships or faculty research
• Write a note of appreciation to a Knight Nurse
• Attend a virtual event
• Sign up to be a volunteer with UCF Alumni
• Donate non-perishables to the Knights Helping Knights Pantry (Pantries located on the main campus, Rosen campus and Medical City).