What if every student made it to the finish line? - Kansas State University Foundation

Emergency funds to the rescue

What if K-State could ensure every student can stay in school — and graduate — regardless of what life throws their way?

That’s when emergency funds matter.

College students work hard for their degrees, but sometimes life throws a curveball that upends all their efforts. Car repairs, medical bills or maxed-out scholarship eligibility create financial hurdles that some just can’t overcome without help.

“It was my final year of college, and it was looking like I was going to have to temporarily drop out. I was devastated,” said Stella Mattingly, a pre-law major. “I learned about the Last Mile Fund, and suddenly I didn’t have to put my life on hold.”

The fund was started by Kit Wheatley, who felt compelled to address a need she learned about through her sister, Alison Wheatley, the assistant dean for academic and student issues in the College of Arts and Sciences at the time.

“I heard from my sister about trying to help students who were caught in some unexpected emergency. It was maddening, because many times a pretty small amount of money would solve the problem,” Kit said. “I wanted to create a fund where the money could be awarded to students quickly, so all that they’d worked for wasn’t lost.”

Getting to the finish line

There are a variety of emergency funds available to students — some specific to a college or department and some available to all across the university.

K-State Proud, the Student Foundation’s annual fundraiser, raises money to support Student Opportunity Awards. A committee meets weekly to go through dozens of requests for emergency funds.

“The most common requests we see are for medical bills and laptops,” said Abby Collins, the group’s vice president of campaign allocation. “If we could, we’d give awards to everyone.”