Day of Green’ raises nearly $100,000 in 31 hours

Northwest’s third annual “Bearcat Day of Green” raised nearly $100,000 in donations during the mere 1,905 minutelong fundraiser.

The Northwest Foundation started the event at 9 a.m. March 28, and $99,825 and 339 gifts were given until 4:45 p.m. March 29. This was the first “Bearcat Day of Green” since fall 2021 as it was moved from the fall to the spring semester.

Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Specialist Tess Lovig said this “Bearcat Day of Green” generated almost $25,000 more dollars than the last time it was held. This year, the 10 core initiatives the campaign supported included scholarships, athletics, academics, Martindale Hall renovations, diversity and inclusion and more.

“I think it’s important because it really shows how much of an impact individual gifts can make,” Lovig said. “A lot of people don’t realize that a $25 gift can lead up to something really big. We raised so much money and a lot of that was from those smaller individual gifts.”

Northwest alumni and supporters had the opportunity to become ambassadors for the event and promote specific causes they wanted to see people donate to.

“Something cool about ambassadors is they can direct people to the page that they want people to go to,” Lovig said. “If they feel very passionately about student life, they can push people to that page.”

During “Bearcat Day of Green,” many people create challenges to increase support for different initiatives through their own gifts, ranging anywhere from $250 to $10,000 if those challenges are met. These pledged donations are unlocked after a certain amount of support is raised for a cause.

Northwest’s Interim President Clarence Green and his wife, Chelli, had a $1,500 challenge for diversity and inclusion. Their gift was unlocked after 15 gifts were donated to the cause. Green also cosponsored a challenge with Interim Vice President of Culture Egon Heidendal for the Safe Ride Home program.

“It is very important to me just to see that we’re always helping out those students and folks who are in that area to ensure that those students have the proper support and resources as they’re transitioning to our University so that they always have a sense of belonging,” Clarence Green said. “I was one of those students and so it’s something that I’m just very passionate about. And having the proper re- sources helped me transition well.”

After these challenges are unlocked, the money pledged by the challengers will be donated to the cause it was made for. Green’s challenge was met, and he said the $1,500 will go directly to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to use for anything it needs like scholarships, programming and other resources.

“I love that momentum that we’re on,”

Clarence Green said. “You know, we’re doing a little bit more every time which is very good for everyone and then we’re gonna put more resources back in and folks hands to really just help us live out our mission of helping every student to be successful.”

School of Education Instructor Jill Baker and her husband Vice President of Student Affairs Matt Baker had a $500 challenge for student life. Jill Baker said due to the nature of her and her husband’s job, and that they have both been with the University for 30 years, they were excited to donate to something that would directly benefit students.

“I think that our students from ‘Bearcat Day of Green’ (can) see a direct impact on things that they care about, things that help them to be able to be more successful in college, help them to have opportunities for offset costs,” Jill Baker said. “All of those things I think are huge, and it’s a way that everybody, regardless of how much you can give, can participate.”

Provost Jamie Hooyman and her husband, Gary, sponsored a $1,000 winnertakes-all challenge for academic departments. The department with the most donations at the end of the 1,905 minutes would receive an extra $1,000 dollars.

“We wanted it to be about the people that are giving versus the amount and so it wasn’t the total amount, it was how many people actually gave to that department,” Jamie Hooyman said. “It was just something to help try to stimulate getting enthusiasm about academics. Our faculty and staff and students do so much every day, and we can only be as successful as the ability of the departments to have what they need to teach.”

Lovig said the next “Bearcat Day of Green” campaign will be next spring, but there is no official date set yet.

“Whatever you put into it, if you start getting involved and start doing things, it’s going to embrace you even more,” Hooyman said. “You can always stay on the fringe and not not get touched by anything, but the more you get involved and get touched by it, you realize how strong it really is. Our alumni group are some of the best supporters.”