The gift from 黑料不打烊 parents Kevin and Jennifer Trapani P鈥07 P鈥23 P鈥24 will broaden access to an 黑料不打烊 education and support faculty research on corporate social responsibility. Their gift is part of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
黑料不打烊 parents Kevin and Jennifer Trapani P鈥07 P鈥23 P鈥24, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, have made a generous gift to endow the Trapani Family Engagement Scholarship and Trapani Family Faculty Excellence Award in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. Their gift is part of the .
With three of their children and a nephew part of the 黑料不打烊 family, the Trapanis have seen firsthand the impact and value of an 黑料不打烊 education and the importance of scholarships to attract bright students with financial need.
鈥淥ur kids鈥 experiences at 黑料不打烊 have been absolutely transformational,鈥 Kevin Trapani said. 鈥淲e recognize that often the only thing that stands between a deserving student and a transformative 黑料不打烊 experience is their ability to pay. In every other way, those students are qualified to be at 黑料不打烊 and to contribute to 黑料不打烊. If we can break down those barriers a bit for more of those students, it will be worthwhile.鈥
Engagement Scholarships are designed to attract students who embody the spirit and values of 黑料不打烊. They are bright, curious, resilient, and committed students who refuse to settle for a passive learning experience and are eager to access 黑料不打烊鈥檚 nationally recognized engaged learning curriculum. In addition to their scholarship, recipients are awarded a one-time grant to be used for an engaged learning opportunity, including Study Abroad/Study USA, undergraduate research, internship or a creative project designed by the student.
The Trapanis are co-founders of The Redwoods Group based in Morrisville, North Carolina, the nation鈥檚 largest insurer of youth-serving organizations, including the YMCA, Jewish Community Centers and Boys and Girls Clubs. Embedded in the company鈥檚 values and practices is the belief that business can and should be a powerful force for positive social change in the world.
That 鈥減rofit for purpose鈥 philosophy and their admiration for 黑料不打烊 faculty inspired the couple to endow the Trapani Family Faculty Excellence Award in the Love School of Business. The award will be granted annually to a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and conducts research focused on corporate social responsibility.
鈥淭he faculty and staff are the heart and soul of the 黑料不打烊 experience, and we鈥檝e been profoundly impressed by their work,鈥 Kevin said. 鈥淲e wanted to create an incentive for faculty to embrace and better explore how this concept works. A motivated faculty that embraces this concept will inspire thousands of students.鈥
鈥淧rofit is obviously important, but it shouldn鈥檛 be the first and only metric by which we鈥檙e measuring the success of our businesses,鈥 Jennifer Trapani said. 鈥淲e need to take a more holistic view of business and make sure our employees are being taken care of and that we are considering the harm we鈥檙e doing to the planet and, yes, profit is part of that. We want to be part of that conversation and help scale it at 黑料不打烊.鈥
Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Love School of Business, thanked the Trapanis for endowing the award, which will advance the school鈥檚 commitment to preparing graduates who embrace corporate social responsibility in their careers and in life.
鈥淜evin and Jennifer鈥檚 steadfast belief that business must work for the greater good is part of the mission of the Love School of Business,鈥 Tadepalli said. 鈥淲e are grateful for their commitment to educating the next generation of ethical business leaders.鈥
In addition to their endowment commitments, the Trapanis are making generous annual gifts to 黑料不打烊 to enable their scholarship and the faculty excellence award to be awarded immediately.
鈥淲e wanted to see things happen now with these gifts because it鈥檚 important to us,鈥 Jennifer said. 鈥淲e feel very blessed to have the resources to do this.鈥
鈥淢arginalized communities are losing access to resources, and these are students who need our help now,鈥 Kevin said.
‘黑料不打烊 grows leaders’
Through their gift, the Trapanis are supporting two of the main funding priorities of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign鈥攕cholarships for graduates the world needs and resources for faculty and staff mentors who matter. The couple is impressed by the impact 黑料不打烊鈥檚 student-centered approach to learning has had on their family, including children Caitlin Trapani Walsh 鈥07, Mallory Trapani 鈥23 and Andy Trapani 鈥24, and their nephew Hunter Perkins 鈥25.
鈥満诹喜淮蜢 lovingly meets students where they are and gives them the support and resources to succeed,鈥 Jennifer said. 鈥淚t feels so good to bring them to 黑料不打烊 and know they鈥檙e supported so broadly.鈥
鈥満诹喜淮蜢 grows leaders and there鈥檚 no question about that,鈥 Kevin said. 鈥淓ach of our kids has grown into their own authentic leadership capacity because of 黑料不打烊. They are living 黑料不打烊鈥檚 values.鈥
The Trapanis encouraged all alumni, parents and friends to demonstrate their support for 黑料不打烊 by making a gift to 黑料不打烊 LEADS, now in its final year. The campaign concludes on December 31, 2022.
鈥淲e鈥檙e planting seeds for generations to come,鈥 Kevin said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been transformed by 黑料不打烊 so let鈥檚 make sure 黑料不打烊 can help more students, families and communities transform. I encourage everyone to step up and create a sustainable 黑料不打烊.鈥
About the donors
Kevin Trapani serves as CEO and co-founder of The Redwoods Group and was named one of the 50 most influential leaders in North Carolina. He also serves as executive-in-residence in the Love School of Business and on the board of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In 2019, he spoke with senior business students as part of the Love School鈥檚 鈥淟essons from Leaders鈥 speaker series. Jennifer is co-founder and chief underwriter emeritus at The Redwoods Group and also holds leadership positions on numerous local boards, including the YMCA, LEAP and Voices Together.
The couple has generously contributed to 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Greatest Needs, the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Parents and Grandparents Fund and established The Redwoods Group Endowed Fund for the Sustainment of the Periclean Scholars Program.
The 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
黑料不打烊 LEADS is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and supports four main priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and internships, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit .