KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Gillian Campbell is a student at the University of Missouri- Kansas City. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, not only were her classes affected, but her job at a bar at the Power and Light District ended.
"Literally right before everything shut down, Big 12 got cancelled and all of that," Campbell said. "That was supposed to be a huge money-making opportunity for me. I was going to pay for all of my bills for the month of March and the month of April."
She was left wondering how would pay her bills. That's when the UMKC Student Emergency Fund came into play.
"We created this emergency fund back when we went into quarantine," said Logan P. Cheney, director of Annual Giving for the UMKC Foundation. "Students could apply for it to pay their bills, to help pay for rent. If a lot of students had to basically up and leave their apartment or quit their job, this was a way to help kids out."
Campbell applied and received money to pay her rent.
The emergency fund is helping 90 students and has raised $90,000.
Cheney said one of the first big donations was $8,000 from country singer Luke Bryan. Officials said he usually donates to neighboring schools when he comes to town to perform. He performed at the T-Mobile Center in October.
Campbell said the money she received is making a long-term difference in her life today.
"We are up to date on all of our bills, we have food in the pantry and a roof over our heads," Campbell said. "We literally couldn't ask for anything more."
