Each year, John Brignola '83 and his daughter Jacqueline (Jacqui) Brignola M'21 make time to reflect on what West Chester University students need and decide where they want to direct their support. Causes are considered carefully because the Brignolas believe giving should have a real and lasting impact.

The tradition started with family meetings when Jacqui was in high school. John would present a pie chart, and Jacqui would allocate percentages to causes the family cared about.

Over time, this practice evolved into a unified family commitment to make their philanthropy thoughtful and effective.

“I wanted my children to be engaged in our giving,” John said. “The idea was for them to think about how influential that contribution could be to the organization that they chose. Over the years we’ve tried to ensure the donations are more impactful.”

One of their most meaningful commitments has been to the Unpaid Internship Fund at WCU, a donor-driven initiative created to eliminate a barrier many students quietly face. In fields like social work, education, healthcare, and counseling, internships are often mandatory but unpaid. For low-income or self-supporting students, this can make it nearly impossible to participate without sacrificing work hours or incurring debt.

Jacqui witnessed this reality as a clinical mental health counseling graduate student.

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