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Quincy College students received two envelopes at their commencement ceremony Friday. One envelope read “gift” and contained $500 for each student; the other envelope read “give” and held $500 for each student to gift to others.
The funds came from commencement speaker Robert Hale, CEO of Granite Telecommunications and owner of the development company Foxrock Properties, WCVB-TV reported. Gifts went out to the 490 graduates, according to the Associated Press.
“The second envelope … is for you to give to another friend, family member or an organization who, in these times, is struggling who could use that a little more than you,” Hale said during his speech.
He told the new graduates of the Massachusetts community college that he wanted to give them an opportunity to reward themselves after a difficult year but also a chance to give to those especially hard-hit by the pandemic.
“You have persevered in the pandemic, and you haven't had a chance to celebrate the last 14 months, like you should,” he said. “And you have seen society and the needs of society grow. We wanted to try to address both of those areas.”
This isn’t the first time Hale has made a sizable donation to a college, The Boston Globe reported. Last month, he and his wife, Karen Hale, gave $30 million to Connecticut College, his alma mater, to bolster athletic programs and financial aid and improve campus infrastructure.
Hale described the joy he takes in giving.
“I hope that today you get to start sharing that joy,” he said.
