Parents Making a Difference at CU-Boulder
Joel Feldman and Dianne Anderson have made CU-Boulder a better place for their son, Brett, and countless other students.
In Fall 2008, Joel and Dianne joined the CU Parents Association (CUPA) Board of Directors when Brett was a freshman. They quickly became involved in many aspects of the board including volunteering during Family Weekend and reviewing CUPA scholarship applications. They liked knowing they were playing a small part in helping worthy students achieve the dreams and goals.
On July 17, 2009 tragedy struck when Joel and Dianne lost their daughter Casey. The pain and tears of grief and loss were lessened when they were comforted by caring friends from the CUPA board.
Casey was a student at Fordham University, where she majored in communication and media studies. Casey always took advantage of opportunities to fully engage at school and in the community. There were many issues that were important to Casey; she had a place in her heart for all who were less privileged than she. The family has made sure Casey’s spirit and passion for helping others lives on through CU students who strive to make a positive impact on the world around them.
Because of their strong connection to CU Boulder, Joel and Dianne have established two endowments to honor Casey’s memory and continued service; the Casey Feldman Alternative Breaks Memorial Endowment and the Casey Feldman CU Public Interest Internship Experience (CU PIIE) Memorial Endowment. The purpose of these endowments is to provide CU students scholarship opportunities to participate in these programs.
Like Casey, CU Boulder is committed to fostering responsible citizenship. Programs such as Alternative Breaks, which encourages students to participate in service projects around the country during their college breaks or the CU PIIE program, which provides students the opportunity to work a nonpaid summer internship in a government agency or non-profit organization are two programs which would have resonated with Casey. To learn more about the Alternative Breaks or CU PIIE program visit http://www.colorado.edu/vch/altbreaks/ or http://careerservices.colorado.edu/students/PIIE.aspx.
Donors like Joel and Dianne, make it possible for CU students to pursue their passion for public service and help create stronger communities, states, and nations, thereby bringing great honor and prestige to the University of Colorado at Boulder.
To keep her spirit alive, the family has also created The Casey Feldman Network and the Casey Feldman Memorial Foundation (information on both scholarships, along with recollections, photos and Casey’s writings, can be found by visiting www.caseyfeldman.com).
