The 2026 “Do Good, Be Good” Seeton Family Community Impact Fund Award
This award recognizes one University of Wyoming student who demonstrates an exceptional commitment to community service. Each year, this award will be presented to a student who demonstrates sustained, individualized leadership in service activities and whose outstanding contributions make a lasting impact.
Criteria for this award:
- Consistent engagement in community service initiatives at the University of Wyoming
and or in Laramie over an extended period, reflecting their genuine commitment to
helping others.
- Preference shall be given to students whose work has made measurable or tangible differences in their communities, emphasizing the quality and sustainability of their contributions.
- Leadership in organizing, managing, or contributing to impactful service projects
that address societal needs and inspire others to take action.
- Preference shall be given to students who bring fresh ideas and creative solutions to community service, fostering unique projects or improving existing efforts with lasting outcomes.
Selection Process
All are welcome to submit nominations, including self-nominations. Nominations are
due by March 23rd (11:59pm MDT). Student nominees will be notified and asked to provide
a personal statement responding to the prompt "In 1,000 words or less, describe your
motivation for serving your community, including the values, beliefs, people, or experiences
that have influenced your understanding of service", as well as providing contact
information for a reference from a community partner who can speak to their impact.
All materials will be considered by the selection committee and the winner will be
notified by May 8, 2026.
The awardee will receive a $2,000 prize from the “Do Good, Be Good” Seeton Family
Community Impact Fund, as well as receiving a physical award at an upcoming celebration.
The winner of this award and the organization(s) where they served will be recognized
in UW and local publications.
Nominate a student for the 2026 "Do Good, Be Good" Seeton Family Community Impact Fund award
About
The “Do Good, Be Good” Seeton Family Community Impact Fund was established by Tom Seeton, who graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1979 with a B.A. in journalism and later returned to UW to earn a B.S. in business administration in 1983. Tom was very active in student media, serving as Sports Editor and News Editor of the Branding Iron and Editor of the Summer Roundup, the weekly summer school newspaper. During his junior year, he was awarded the prestigious Wyoming Press Association Scholarship for journalistic excellence and won two Rocky Mountain Press Association awards for sports news and column writing. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Tom worked as a Sports Editor for daily newspapers in New Mexico, Wyoming (Rawlins) and Arizona before embarking on an exciting career with Continental Airlines and later co-managing his family's oil and gas business (Mary Helen Energy LLC.) He and his wife, Cheri, reside in Golden, CO.
Tom has always been a passionate supporter of UW. He is a longtime Cowboy Joe Club member and a lifetime member of the UW Alumni Association. He is also actively involved in several initiatives that enrich the university community, including being a staunch supporter of the Poke Food Pantry. Tom's philanthropic contributions to UW include the establishment in 2023 of the Seeton Family "Cowboy Tough" Scholarship, which celebrates student-athletes who overcome a significant medical challenge, injury, disability or family hardship to make their mark in UW sports. His vision for the new "Do Good, Be Good" Seeton Family Community Impact Fund reflects his belief in the transformative power of self-driven community service and leadership, a passion that was deeply inspired by his many years of involvement in community service projects through his Kiwanis clubs in metro Denver. Tom aims to foster a culture of sustained, individualized impact at UW, encouraging students to make meaningful contributions to society.
Tom also has other ties to the university and the Cowboy State. His nephew, Caleb Seeton, graduated from UW in 2018 with a degree in English education. Caleb was an outstanding track athlete at UW. He competed in the multi-events and the long jump for the Cowboys; he holds the seventh best mark in the heptathlon in UW indoor track history. Caleb taught English in Sheridan during the 2018-2019 academic year before leaving to pursue a master's degree at the University of Montana. Caleb now teaches English at Bigfork High School in northern Montana. Tom's other nephew, Sam Seeton, lives in Casper and is the CEO of Infinite Outdoors USA, an innovative hunting and fishing company, which was recognized as one of the top start-up businesses in Casper through UW's IMPACT 307 business development program. Infinite Outdoors USA is a big supporter of the Center for Professional Selling in UW's College of Business and provides summer internships for UW business students. Sam's wife, Morgan (McNally), won the title of Miss Wyoming in 2022 and represented the state that year in the Miss USA Pageant in Reno, NV.