After a two-year hiatus, the Vassar Athletics Day of Giving is making its return.
The Athletic Department’s primary fundraiser will run from Oct. 6th at 9 a.m. until noon of the next day and aims to reach a goal of 2,000 donations during those 27 hours.
“The Day of Giving has played a crucial role in our efforts to offer a more robust and well-rounded student-athlete experience while also improving the competitive success of our programs,” Director of Athletics Michelle Walsh told The Miscellany News. “More than that, this event has also helped to generate a sense of excitement and connection among our current student-athletes, their families, and our dedicated alumni.”
In the past, the fundraiser has encouraged inter-team competition. This year, the tagline is: “29 Teams. One Common Goal.”
“Our focus is on helping all of our teams rise to excellence together rather than fostering competition among the programs,” said Walsh in an email addressed to Vassar’s student athletes.
If the donation goal is met, President Bradley and her husband John Bradley will donate $10,000 to the Brewers Fund, which supports RISE programming, new equipment in the Iron Brewer Training Facility, the addition of staff to the sports medicine team and more.
Gifts given to individual teams will still support team specific events and purchases, but 20 percent of those gifts will go to the general Brewers Fund.
Teams can also receive a $1,000 bonus if they hit their individual donor goals, which are based on current team and alumni base size.
The Athletic Department began to roll out the campaign throughout the final week of September.
Vassar Athletics and individual teams’ social media accounts entered fundraising mode by changing their profile pictures to the campaign’s official “#Give2Brew” branding, and teams have also posted videos across their accounts encouraging their supporters to show up in full force on Oct. 6th.
Just as the fundraiser has been absent because of COVID-19, so have the trips that teams are able to take together, a significant aspect of the collegiate athletics experience. Vassar teams travel across the country, all the way from Florida to California, while some teams even get the opportunity to travel internationally. Fundraising is paramount for these trips to be a possibility.
“Fundraising gives us a great chance to provide new opportunities for our players,” Head Men’s Volleyball coach Richard Gary told The Miscellany News. “In our case, going overseas is something that many on the team have not experienced, which makes it especially fun.”
To Gary, the Day of Giving is about elevating student-athletes’ experiences and reconnecting with alums who personally appreciate the value of what the department and teams are advocating for.
“This trip gives us a chance to do more than just travel gym to gym, but gives us a cultural adventure that goes well beyond our sport.”
“I look forward to the Day of Giving because it gives us a chance to connect with all our incredible alums and supporters,” Gary added. “It’s exciting to reconnect and share the challenge, and it gives them a chance to reminisce about their past travels.”
Donations can be made at go.vassar.edu/Give2Brew.