ϳԹ celebrated its 112th birthday on May 19 by launching its first-ever Day of Giving and raising $65,000 from more than 350 alumni, friends and partners in 24 hours. The blue and gold community came together in support of a variety of scholarships as part of the university’s Forever Brighter comprehensive campaign.
The giving day featured more than 25 scholarship funds and an opportunity to match individual gifts up to $500 until the $15,000 in matching funds were exhausted. The gifts made on the Day of Giving will help students on all ϳԹ’s campuses focus on their education by providing the financial support they need to pursue their college degrees.
Throughout the day, university leadership posted birthday messages on social media, including videos from ϳԹ President Todd Diacon, Senior Vice President and Provost Melody Tankersley, Director of Athletics Randale Richmond, and Vice President for Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and CEO of the ϳԹ Foundation Valoree Vargo. The university mascot even got in on the fun as Flash traveled across the Kent Campus with balloons and cake to celebrate ϳԹ’s birthday.
“ϳԹ places a great emphasis on prioritizing the success of our students, and we felt that our birthday was the perfect time to encourage our community to join us in that mission through our first Day of Giving,” Vargo said. “There is a lot to celebrate at ϳԹ, but no accomplishments are quite as important as our commitment to college access and our increasing graduation rates. Philanthropy plays a key role in helping more ϳԹ students earn college degrees.”
Adding to the celebratory feel of the day, donors who gave $112 or more on May 19 will have birthday cake of their own sent to them as a thank you for making the university’s wish of supporting students come true. ϳԹ is sending out more than 200 packages of birthday cake to alumni and friends who supported scholarships at this level.
“When Golden Flashes are called upon to support ϳԹ students, they always rise to the challenge,” said Danielle Hupp, ϳԹ’s senior associate director of communications and giving initiatives. “Flashes give back. It’s who we are and what we do. Matching funds and incentives are an exciting part of our giving campaigns, and our donors make the most of these opportunities so the impact of their gifts can go even further. Because of their generosity, we have the opportunity to support even more students with scholarships.”
For a complete list of all the 2022 Day of Giving campaign featured funds, visit www.kent.edu/birthday.
To learn more about the university’s comprehensive campaign, Forever Brighter, visit www.kent.edu/foreverbrighter.