Go Blue raises more than $114k for scholarships, athletics, and more
Photos by Lee Ferris
The Mount’s annual Go Blue fundraiser recently raised more than $114,000 for a variety of departments and scholarships at the college.
About 600 donors gave gifts to the college over the course of nearly two weeks. The funds supported more than 30 initiatives.
Go Blue allows participants to support what they love about the Mount. From athletics teams to the Nursing program, and everything in between, many areas of the college benefited from the generosity of its friends, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents of current students.
Walden Savings Bank sponsored four bonus prizes of $5,000 each to initiatives that met special goals:
The athletic initiative that raised the most money was the Women’s Lacrosse team, which raised a grand total of nearly $11,500.
The non-athletic initiative that raised the most money was the Mount’s School of Nursing, which earned more than $3,400 towards the Nursing Simulation and Learning Center.
The athletic initiative that had the highest number of unique $20-plus donors was the Baseball team.
The non-athletic initiative that had the highest number of unique $20-plus donors was the Campus Ministry Care Closet, where students who need extra support can get items for free, such as food, toothpaste, toilet paper, and more.
Derrik R. Wynkoop, Walden Savings Bank President and CEO, was on-hand at the Go Blue wrap-up celebration to present the bonus prizes to each of the four winning groups.
Because the contest for the most non-athletic unique donors was so close, Care Closet creator Fr. Gregoire Fluet, vice president for Mission and Ministry, announced that he was splitting the $5,000 bonus with the initiative that came in second. That initiative, from the School of Business, is to create experiential educational opportunities for students.
One act of kindness was quickly followed by another: Wynkoop, upon hearing this, pledged to donate an extra $2,500 to both, bringing their totals up to $5,000 each.
Two friends of the college offered challenges during the Go Blue campaign. Penny Ducker of the Class of 1973 offered an alumni challenge gift of $15,000 if the college could inspire 100 individual alumni donors. Nearly double that number participated in Go Blue, securing the prize. Daubman Corporate Interiors also offered a $1,000 matching challenge for the college’s School of Business, which it surpassed.
Nikki Khurana-Baugh, vice president for Advancement at the college, thanked Go Blue co-chairs Tony Scardillo, associate professor of Marketing, and Lee Fothergill, professor of Mathematics; the Advancement team; the 30-plus faculty and staff champions who worked hard to fundraise for their initiatives; and anyone who helped with or donated to Go Blue.
While the Go Blue campaign has come to an end, you can still help support the Mount by calling 845-569-3216 or emailing Nikki.Khurana-Baugh@msmc.edu
