Love of Humanity

The word philanthropy comes from the ancient Greek philanthrōpia—philos, meaning to love, and anthrōpos, meaning humanity. One of the earliest known usages of the word describes Prometheus’s gift of fire to mankind, giving humans the means to survive.

Love of humanity.

When asking undergraduate students to define “philanthropy,” you’ll discover that, while some are familiar with the word, few have a clear understanding of what it means. However, if you ask what “love of humanity” means to them, you’ll hear deeply personal stories of soup kitchens, mentorship, cleanup days, and blood banks.

Many students are engaging in philanthropic activities long before they understand what the word means. Annual Giving interns Jose Atilano, a general management major from Greybull, Wyoming, and Dani Fumia, a marketing major with a minor in sales from Arvada, Colorado, are helping other students make that connection.

They shared with us their experiences of discovering philanthropy and the impact it’s had on them.

What does philanthropy mean to you?

Jose: I think of philanthropy as opportunity. It includes all the ways we get to give back to our communities and to the people who have shaped us into who we are today. People generally want to help others. Philanthropy is discovering how we make that happen.

Dani: Philanthropy is being involved in the things you care about. A lot of my experience with that has been through volunteering. Before coming to the foundation, I volunteered with a golden retriever rescue, helping to care for dogs until they found homes. It can mean different things to different people, but it means much more than just giving money.

How has working in philanthropy changed your perspective?

Jose: It’s been incredibly uplifting seeing people receive the resources they need. I know I want to do something impactful with my life. This internship has been the most amazing experience I could have asked for. I’m now considering a career in philanthropy after graduation, which wasn’t on my radar before I started working at the foundation.

Tell us about the student philanthropy organization you are working to create.

Dani: What we want is a student philanthropy club, something that gives students a place to get involved, volunteer, and give back. We want to give students opportunities to grow professionally and personally through community.

What does love of humanity mean to you?

Jose: Love of humanity invokes a sense of responsibility for me. It’s more than just loving one another. It could be feeling empathy for those in need or the act of preserving someone’s dignity. To help others is a privilege. We have a responsibility for the greater good.

Dani: To me, it means investing your time and energy into things that are bigger than yourself, simply out of love. I think of our wonderful donors who give year after year. Many of them show up physically through sporting events, scholarship dinners, award ceremonies, graduations. It could stop at the donation, but they continuously show up for us in so many ways.