Oswego Family Comes Together by Giving Back

This year, it wasn’t just one generous supporter who inspired GOLD (Graduates Of the Last Decade) to participate in the March Matchness Challenge, it was a team of four, the Tascarella family. Ron ’79, Cindy Dickerson ’79, Ron ’06 and Dan ’06 M’07 came together as a family to support the place to which they say they owe their careers and success.

The Tascarella family agreed to give $15,000 to The Fund for Oswego if 250 GOLD alumni made a gift during the month of March. After reaching the initial goal, the Tascarellas agreed to give an additional $15,000 if a total of 300 GOLD alumni participated.

Alongside the Tascarellas, three mini-challengers, Kevin L. Sutherland ’05, Steven DiMarzo ’11 M’15 and Tyler Edic ’13, agreed to give $10 for every donor from their respective class. The Class of 2014 ended up in first place and a record-breaking total of 324 GOLD alumni participated in the monthlong challenge, which netted more than $38,000 for the college.

In gratitude for all SUNY Oswego has given them, the Tascarellas decided to endow a scholarship with their gift. The Tascarella Family Scholarship will be awarded to a student interested in the banking and accounting field who has demonstrated outstanding service, academic excellence, involvement and leadership.

“We wanted to create this scholarship as a way to recognize an Oswego student who really stands out because of his or her active involvement,” said Ron Sr., senior vice president and chief credit officer at Pathfinder Bank. “My education provided the foundation for my career, but many of the lessons I learned outside of the classroom helped me develop the skills I needed to achieve success.”

Thank you to the 324 GOLD donors who participated in the 2015 March Matchness Challenge, and a special shout out to the Class of 2014 who had more than twice as many donors (71) as its closest competitor.

Ron Sr. and Cindy, a senior accountant at Oswego Hospital, recognize the importance of giving back and getting involved in other aspects of their lives. They both actively participate in local organizations in Oswego, where they reside. Cindy is the secretary of the Oswego Sunrise Rotary Club and treasurer of the Oswego Public Library. Ron is an advisor for the SUNY Oswego Student Investment Club, serves on the Arise Advisory Committee and is a member of the international World Blind Union, to name a few.

Their sons, Ron and Dan, learned the importance of getting involved from their parents and wanted to get the most out of their education at Oswego.

“Growing up, we saw how involved our parents were and they laid a great foundation for us,” said Dan, an auditor at PwC. “We learned valuable lessons from our experiences at Oswego that we carry with us today.”

As Oswego students, Dan served as the Student Association President from 2006-2007 and Ron served as a Sheldon Leader. By participating in internships, they gained professional perspectives of their fields of study, and as members of the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity, they made lifelong friendships.

“At Oswego, I learned that with hard work, critical thinking and an ambitious attitude, you can accomplish whatever you want,” said Ron Jr., assistant vice president at M&T Bank. “We want to honor students who share these values and help them finish school with less debt for the future.”

—Megan Andolina