The commencement speaker at a Massachusetts university turned the gray rainy weather into a bright sunshiny day when he announced a surprise gift for every graduating student.
Robert Hale Jr., the founder and CEO of Granite Telecommunications, accepted the UMass Dartmouth Chancellor’s Medal for his philanthropy work in the community—and, at the end of his speech, his generosity revealed itself once again.
Hale began the commencement speech telling the crowd about his career, including losing $1 billion nearly overnight, and urged them not to let failure define them, using his own life as an example of resilience and perseverance.
Before the undergraduate degrees were handed out, Hale came forward and let the graduates know he had more than advice to offer them.
Two large duffle bags were brought on stage by security—and they were packed with envelopes full of cash.
He then announced that each graduate who crossed the stage would be given two envelopes containing $1,000 in cash. The shocked Class of 2024 was told that one envelope with $500 was theirs to keep as a gift.
They would also receive a second $500 envelope to give to someone in need, or a charity or cause close to them.
He described that for him and his wife Karen, “the greatest joys we’ve had in our life have been the gift of giving.”
“These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring, and giving,” Hale concluded. “Our community and our world need our help now more than ever.”
Watch the surprise moment in the UMass Dartmouth video below…
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