30
April
2019
|
13:56 PM
America/Chicago

UST Community Gives Bold for the Red & Gold

Gold Giving Day graphic with red UST crest and in red letters the text “WHAT CAN YOU DO IN ONE DAY?” That was the big question blasted out on email, social media and radio to promote the University of St. Thomas’s first annual Giving Day on April 24—a 24-hour campaign to raise funds for scholarships and other needs. In response, the UST community united to give a total of more than $102,000!

“Giving Day was a celebration of UST’s founding and an opportunity to honor our founders’ contributions by making our own investments in the university’s future,” said Jacquelyn Olexa, director of Annual Giving at UST. “We are grateful to our generous faculty, staff, alumni and friends who supported Giving Day and made it a huge success.”

How Donations Can Make an Impact

Donors were able to pick specific causes that had special meaning for them. Alternatively, they could make a general contribution to an area of greatest need. Options included 18 different causes, ranging from scholarships to new batting cages for the baseball team. To encourage some friendly competition among Giving Day donors, the Scanlan Foundation, one of UST’s longtime benefactors, provided generous challenge gifts totaling $50,000.

At midnight, the final result far exceeded UST’s participation goal of 300 donors. Alumni made up the largest group of donors, followed by faculty and staff, students, parents and friends.

To celebrate, the UST campus came together with a special event on the Student Life Mall to commemorate Giving Day and the university’s Founders Week. Guests enjoyed gumbo, shrimp etouffee, chicken, fish and gourmet cupcakes provided by popular food trucks, music, giveaways and more.