An anonymous alumna promised to give Stephens College, an all women’s school in Columbia, Mo., $1 million if, and only if, the staff of 200 employees lose a grand total of 250 pounds by midnight on Jan. 1, 2011.
As if that sum isn’t already generous enough, the unconventional donor added that if the college’s president, Dianne M. Lynch, drops at least 25 pounds, she will tack on another $100,000 to her contribution.
“This donation is unusual because it’s not about a program or a scholarship or any other kind of naming opportunity,” Lynch said on Friday. “It’s about investing in the people who work at this college.”
The 87-year-old mystery woman from Oregon is very health-conscious and believes that obesity is a serious problem in America and wants to give overweight people an incentive to slim down.
“It’s easy to talk about health and wellness, but it’s another thing to live out our goals and best intentions,” Lynch said. “Sometimes you just need that extra push, and a million dollars is one giant push.”
Lynch said she and her colleagues have already begun plans to lose the weight over the weekend.
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