Wildcat Women Fund Spotlight Q&A With Morgan Bell Kee ’12 and Harvey Kee ’11
Morgan Bell Kee ’12 and Harvey Kee ’11 have remained loyal donors to СÓÅÊÓƵ since their student days.
This past year, they added the Wildcat Women Fund to their list of philanthropic priorities at alma mater. Read more to find out why these community-involved professionals and parents of two are supporting this new Fund for СÓÅÊÓƵ designation, and how it could affect the next generation of Wildcats.
What inspired you to add the Wildcat Women Fund to your current giving priorities at СÓÅÊÓƵ?
We liked the idea of supporting a fund where women — and men! — could collectively come together to have an impact. We were even more excited to learn the funds this year would be used toward a feasibility study for the Center for Student Health & Well-Being. We’ve seen how much the center has changed since we were students at СÓÅÊÓƵ, and we appreciate the work the counseling center is doing in helping underserved communities get access to mental health services. In general, the staff is much more diverse (just like the student population) and it’s important for students of all backgrounds to feel comfortable seeking out and getting the support they need.
This is the first time the college has a fund focused on [primarily] women coming together to support an area of campus. Why do you think this is the right time for СÓÅÊÓƵ to launch a program like this?
When we think of great philanthropists right now, we think of women like Mackenzie Scott, founder and CEO of Yield Giving, and Nicole Taylor, president and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Philanthropy is going to continue to become more and more diverse, and СÓÅÊÓƵ needs to keep up with the next generation of donors. This program can increase connections between the different generations of women.
The current designation for the fund is student health and well-being. What impact do you hope these gifts have on that important area of campus life?
We hope students will continue to feel open in seeking help when they need it, including preventive care in terms of mental health. We hope these gifts can continue ensuring students have a great СÓÅÊÓƵ experience and the support they need to thrive on campus.
Why is giving back to СÓÅÊÓƵ an important part of your family’s financial decision making? When you reflect on your time as СÓÅÊÓƵ students, how did philanthropy make a difference for you, and how did you know you wanted to pay it forward?
Harvey was a student caller for The Fund for СÓÅÊÓƵ so he’s actually seen the collective impact of giving back to СÓÅÊÓƵ for quite some time. We both received scholarships when we were at СÓÅÊÓƵ, and we remember writing a thank you card to the alum who created our scholarships. I (Morgan) was able to study abroad in Australia without worrying about finances. Because of this, we know it’s important to give back to СÓÅÊÓƵ so others can continue to have the same experiences we did. We are not big donors at all because daycare is expensive (!!) but we recognize the collective impact of our gifts when more than 9,000 alums are also giving back each year.