Mater Dei Inaugurates 1950 Day of Giving

On Friday, October 5, Mater Dei held its first “1950 Day,” a day duringwhich students, parents, grandparents, lifetime parents, alumni, faculty and staff were invited to donate any amount to the school within 24 hours. An anonymous donor offered a $50,000 challenged grant promising to match funds raised and bring the total to $100,000.

So, how did we do? In just ONE DAY of giving back, the entire Mater Dei community collectively raised over $132,000 to benefit need-based financial aid. Current students even got involved with a Throwback Thursday 1950s dress costume contest judged by MD alumni and a class donation challenge at lunch on Thursday, October 4. In just one hour, the entire student body raised over $2,000 with the sophomores taking the title which earned them spirit dress and donuts on Tuesday, October 16.

The class donation challenge at lunch! Congrats Class of 2022!

Fifty-five percent of our students are on financial aid,” said Allison Bergeron ‘96, Director of Estate & Alumni Giving. “We’re nothing without our students and we want to keep Mater Dei diverse, inclusive and welcoming, and that’s what it’s all about.”

1950 Day is named after the year of the school’s establishment. This past summer Advancement team members Allison Bergeron ’96, Kathleen Kelly ’94 and Whitney Pavlik ’02 attended a conference at the University of Notre Dame with Catholic high school advancement directors across the country. Based on the feedback from their conference peers, the team was encouraged to launch an independent giving day for Mater Dei rather than participate in National Giving Tuesday. In addition, Bergeron explained that 1842 Day at her college alma mater Villanova University also served as a model for 1950 Day.

With the success of this year’s inaugural event, 1950 Day is now firmly cemented into our Homecoming week tradition. Alumni from the 1950s also returned to campus to help with morning prayer, pledge of allegiance and announcements.

Perhaps the most memorable aspect of 1950 Day was the “Stronger Together” video of President Patrick Murphy, Principal Frances Clare, Director of Campus Ministry Helen Steves, and Coach Bruce Rollinson and Coach Gary McKnight. Dubbed the “fabulous five” by the Advancement Office, this team of veterans with 168 collective years at MD went to great lengths to promote 1950 Day – from lifting weights, to running the track, flipping over tires, and taking orders from Coach Rollinson.

The video went viral over MD’s social media channels and was a catalyst in building momentum for the spirit of 1950 Day. By 5 p.m. on Friday, totals were nearing $40,000 and near the end of the Homecoming we were nearing $60,000.

Reflecting back on the success of the initiative, Kathleen Kelly shared, “One of the most encouraging aspects of 1950 Day was the high volume of first-time donors. People really saw that they could make an impact. We hope they’ll come back again and again. It was also great to see people’s creativity when making their gift. Many gave $19.50 or their class year or the number of years since they graduated. It was great.”

The team is already planning next year’s event and has big plans to follow the inaugural 1950 Day video. Stay tuned until 2019!