35 easy ways to make extra cash (5 29 25)

Author

Anthony Hazzard
May 29, 2025

Commencement speeches are routine at college graduations. But find out the surprise one billionaire gave more than 1,400 graduating seniors further down this email. 

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🎤 Commencement Speaker Gives Each Graduate $1,000

Presidents, athletes, music artists and more give commencement speeches at college graduations.

But no matter how high-profile your commencement speech, it probably pales in comparison to the one that Bridgewater State University (Bridgewater, Massachusetts) graduates experienced earlier this month.

Billionaire Robert Hale surprised each of the more than 1,400 graduating students with $1,000 -- $500 for them and $500 “to give to somebody else or another organization that could use it more than them,” according to MassLive.

(For those of you already reaching for your phone calculator, that’s more than $1.4 million.)

The founder and CEO of Granite Telecommunications and part of the Boston Celtics ownership group is worth $5.8 billion according to Forbes and has contributed more than $400 million to cancer research, education and community causes.

Hale delivered the same gift at UMass Dartmouth (’24), UMass Boston (’23), Roxbury Community College (’22) and Quincy College (’21).

If you’re an upcoming college senior in the Massachusetts area, you may want to petition your school to reach out to Hale for your commencement next year.

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The Team Clark Consumer Action Center is a free helpline that can help you navigate your money questions. Call 636-492-5275. Visit clark.com/cac for more information.

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