Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
The Thundering Heard Pep Band struck a loud drum roll at noon Thursday.
Students hanging out on the Promenade turned their heads to see Grand Canyon University’s mascot, Thunder, marching down the walkway with the Cheer team, Dance team and Thundering Heard Pep Band following suit.
It is a Day of Giving tradition.
Last year, the university raised nearly $600,000.
The goal for this year? Surpass last year.
“Day of Giving showcases GCU programs and student-led initiatives and invites everyone to share the excitement of the great things happening here," said Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Cherylann Galdi. "We are sincerely grateful for the donors who generously support our students in finding and living their purpose.”
The online campaign gives a chance to clubs and programs to advocate for their needs and for students to step into ambassador roles. It also gives the community a chance to tap into their philanthropic side.
With 120 clubs and 50 additional causes on board this year, the community had a chance to donate to a variety of programs that range from sports and ministries to academics, scholarships and humanitarian causes.
“This day allows students that are involved in things they are passionate about to raise money for certain causes,” said Annual Giving and Alumni Relations Specialist Jac Trboyevich.
“When donors want to go donate to these clubs and causes, they have to write an ‘in honor of’ section, that way no ambassadors or clubs get overlooked. We want there to be inclusivity.”
Students had an opportunity to serve as ambassadors for programs that mean the most to them. While some had started preparing for the big day months in advance, some spontaneously joined the cause as soon as they saw purple tables with #GCUgives T-shirts along the Promenade.
Just halfway through the day, roughly 900 student ambassadors made the commitment to participate in the campaign.
In addition, students had the chance to take photos in front of a purple photo booth with various props that showed off their school spirit and pride. They could use those photos for their personal social media platforms with #GCUgives and #Dayofgiving and encourage their communities to participate in the online campaign.
Alumni Marketing and Communications Specialist Nicole Johnson’s idea behind this social media strategy had bigger intentions than just simply receiving donations.
“I go hard on social media because a lot of our alumni are online and never come to campus. I try to show the campus atmosphere so they can feel the GCU culture they missed out on,” Johnson said. “We try to get students to do videos of why someone should give to GCU because that pulls at heart strings when you see the students it is actually impacting.”
Dance, Cheer, the Thundering Heard Pep Band and Thunder took turns being in front of a camera and participating in Johnson’s social media strategy by creating fun, engaging videos for the online community to see.
“We do this tradition to show support to those who put on this campaign,” said Spirit Programs Manager Jesi Weeks. “We work hard to reach our community. It is a way to keep GCU programs and its alumni involved and connected.”
Halfway through the day, the campaign had already reached $200,000.
Some of the most popular donor recipients included club sports, the film equipment lab and Colangelo College of Business.
Day of Giving festivities continued with a fun and spooky trunk-or-treat event hosted in the parking lot of the Learning Lounge.
Families from the local community were invited to bring their children to a mini harvest festival where they could trick or treat for candy, sport creative costumes, make crafts and play games.
“This is a great way to show how we give back to the community,” said Learning Lounge Program Manager Alexandra Jones.
Various university clubs and departments participated in the trunk-or-treat event. It included 32 participants, 28 trunks and four interactive activity tables.
“This is a Day of Giving to GCU but also GCU’s day of giving back to the community,” Jones said.
Day of Giving concluded with a night of worship at the Canyon Worship Live concert, when the GCU community thanked God for the many opportunities for communities near and far to come support GCU.
The gift of giving continues. If you are interested in making a donation, you still have the chance to do so here.
GCU staff writer can be reached at [email protected].
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