草榴社区 will be hosting its first-ever Give Day on April 4, beginning at 12:00 a.m. and lasting 24 hours.
During that time, 草榴社区 will encourage alumni and friends of the University to support the school鈥檚 mission of service to its students by making donations to the school鈥檚 programs. All interested in supporting the school鈥檚 programs may visit 耻肠耻尘产别谤濒补苍诲蝉.别诲耻/驳颈惫别诲补测.听
Give Day videos, fundraising challenges and general updates will be posted across 草榴社区鈥 social media channels throughout the day, for those who want to stay up-to-date. Alumni and friends may also become Give Day social ambassadors, encouraging friends and family to join in. (Those interested may contact 草榴社区鈥 Office of Development at courtney.bidwell [at] ucumberlands.edu (courtney[dot]bidwell[at]ucumberlands[dot]edu).)听
鈥淲e have a number of incredibly generous donors who have given to the University over the years,鈥 said Bill Stohlman, Director of Development at 草榴社区. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing seeing people care so much about education, character and growth, and who believe so much in the impact this school has on its students鈥 lives, that they give to 草榴社区. These donations supply students with scholarships, grow ministry and outreach programs, fund work-study positions, support our student organizations and athletic teams 鈥 the list is endless.鈥
鈥湶萘裆缜 students have innumerable invaluable opportunities available to them,鈥 he added, 鈥渁nd many of those are possible directly because of our wonderful donors.鈥
草榴社区 slashed tuition by nearly 60 percent in September 2018, making its new tuition cost one of the lowest in the country. The new price is $9,875 without any financial assistance. Last year, 99 percent of 草榴社区 students received some form of financial aid. However, the lower tuition does not decrease students鈥 need for financial aid the University supplies.
鈥淢any students who may have been unable to attend college before can now afford a quality, private education,鈥 said Dr. Jerry Jackson, Vice President for Enrollment and Communications. 鈥淏ut we need to continue helping our students in regard to finances. The good news is that, with this lower tuition rate, every dollar contributed to 草榴社区 goes much, much further. The need is still there, but the impact of each donation is greater.鈥
Erica (Broome) Harris, Director of Alumni Services, is hoping Give Day will provide an opportunity to bring together alumni from every generation.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to it,鈥 said Harris. 鈥淲hat better way for alumni to get involved with the college they loved and create a tangible, lasting impact? I think a lot of the memories alumni have of their alma mater were forged while they were students, but then that鈥檚 it 鈥 no recent experiences, no new memories being made. We want their relationship with the school to continue after they graduate.鈥
The University鈥檚 goal for Give Day is 鈥400 on the 4th鈥 鈥 bringing in 400 new donors on April 4. Give Day challenges and updates 鈥 as well as pre-event information 鈥 will be posted across all 草榴社区鈥 social media channels @U草榴社区 using the hashtag #草榴社区Gives. Donors can also connect with 草榴社区 through mail and email.