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Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” in these many weeks.
Elsa Moore
John Wesley Day is a Wesleyan school day that is celebrated by all students from all divisions of the school as they come together to write cards that express their thankfulness for the people who have donated money to make a beautiful place like Wesleyan possible. This year, the school will celebrate its twelfth annual John Wesley Day, which means 12 years that students have taken the time to write letters and recognize people who have given generously to the school. John Wesley Day was created by Andy Cook, father of junior Andrew Cook, senior Thomas Cook, and Bobby Cook (‘22) at Wesleyan, who came up with the idea as a way to celebrate Wesleyan student’s thankfulness for donors to the school. This day takes place around the eighteenth of November, purposely around Thanksgiving, which is a time in general where people are especially thankful for the people and opportunities and their lives, which make it a perfect time to celebrate John Wesley Day.
Many students and faculty may not even know that John Wesley Day had purposely been named after the brothers, John and Charles Wesley, important religious figures who started the Methodist Church in 1784. John Wesley was known as a person of gratitude, which is one of the reasons why the day was named after him along with being an homage to the brothers. Associate Director of Development Patrick Hughes says “I think it is an important day because we celebrate generosity in different ways through cards of gratitude, a slide show with pictures and quotes of generosity across campus, a special John Wesley Day chapel speaker, and a John Wesley Day Luncheon, and recognizes that people who will never know our names gave generously so we can enjoy the campus we have today.” Wesleyan, founded in 1963, started out much different than its students see it now. It was a relatively young school but has developed drastically over time. It was not gifted with half the amenities it has today. These amenities can include the things students take for granted, such as the natatorium, beautiful buildings like Wesley hall and Cole fine arts, and the athletic complexes student use at this school. Its development is all thanks to the generous people who have contributed and donated to it starting from its foundation to the beautiful buildings that surround us today. As students and faculty, everyone is charged with moving forward with the gift of Wesleyan and leaving it even better than it was
found through giving and charity. John Wesley Day stands to be such an important day in the Wesleyan community so that students are able to take time to appreciate the beauty of attending a place like Wesleyan. Hughes also states that “We are put in charge of advancing Wesleyan’s Christian mission and being good stewards of what we are entrusted with.” Wesleyan students are tasked with the job of writing letters to say thank you to the people who have chosen to give their resources, time, and effort into making the school a wonderful place. The money that donors place into Wesleyan not only go towards the beautiful campus but also to help with faculty salaries and student aid. This also allows Wesleyan to be equipped with teachers who are good in the classroom and care about their students. Letters are an essential part of this day as receiving a letter in the mailbox can bring joy to the person receiving it who will then know that their contribution, even if it is small, had an impact on a student, who took time out of their day to just say “thank you.” John Wesley Day is an important Wesleyan celebration whether students know it or not. It can allow them to take time out of busy schedules and enjoy taking time to say thank you to someone who made an impact. It lets both students and faculty reflect on the people who have given so charitably to Wesleyan and made the beautiful campus we enjoy today possible.
Alumni Jason McCleskey (‘17) spoke at the John Wesley Day chapel and told students about a part of his faith journey. Blanchard
(l to r) Freshman Mallory Suits, Shayla Bahr, and Piper Prince write letters for John Wesley Day to express their thanks for the generous people who have donated to Wesleyan. Blanchard
Thank you to all the wonderful donors!
