The University of Mary Washington is inviting members of its community to give back in honor or in memory of the person who had the greatest impact on them at Mary Washington.
With a theme of #MakeItPossible, UMW’s Giving Tuesday celebration will give donors the opportunity to invest in the education of current and future students so they can fulfill their dreams – while thanking those at Mary Washington who supported their own.
Alumni, families, friends, faculty, staff, and students are invited to make gifts of any size to areas across the University on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible. More than $47,000 in challenges and matches sponsored by generous donors are waiting to be unlocked throughout the day, doubling the impact of each gift:
- Each gift of $500 or less made to the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, up to $12,500.
- If 200 donations are made to the Beyond the Classroom Endowment during the month of November, Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 will unlock $10,000 for the College of Arts and Sciences initiative to support students studying abroad.
- The College of Business Executive Advisory Board will match all gifts to the College of Business up to $5,000.
- Steve and Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68 will match each gift made to the College of Education, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
- Alec and Betty Olander Adams ’69 will match each gift to the General Scholarship Fund, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
- Sheehy Toyota of Fredericksburg will match all gifts to Friends of Athletics up to $5,000.
- Brian ’84 and Erma Baker ’82 will match all gifts to the UMW Veterans Endowment, up to $5,000, supporting Mary Washington students who have served or are active service members.
Other areas addressing critical needs include the Cedric Rucker ’81 S.O.S. Fund, an endowment in “support of our students,” helping those who have unexpected or life-altering emergencies, and the Gwen Hale Resource Center, which provides food, toiletries, clothing, and other necessities for students in need.
UMW’s Office of Annual Giving has several perks for gift-givers, including an opportunity for young alumni to name a campus squirrel – and get a digital certificate as a keepsake – when a donation of $19.08 or more (in honor of the University’s founding year) is made to the Fund for Mary Washington. Parents, guardians, and family members of current students will earn their Eagle a note of encouragement and bag of Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses during finals week when they make a gift on Giving Tuesday.
Alumni and friends can pitch in even more by serving as a #GivingTuesday ambassador. They’ll receive an exclusive toolkit and a unique referral link to inspire others to give. Anyone who posts on social media throughout the day is encouraged to use #MakeItPossible and #GivingTuesday.
Visit givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible to learn more about Giving Tuesday challenges and to sign up to be a Giving Tuesday ambassador.
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