Alumni, students, families, faculty, staff and friends gave more than $2.5 million in gifts, showed their pride on social media, and attended events around the world in honor of Ƶ Day.
On March 5, 2020, thousands of people around the world came together to show their support and pride for Ƶ Day, the university’s annual day of giving. In total, donors gave more than $2.5 million — a new record — from 6,199 gifts. Over the course of the day, five new endowed scholarships were also created.
This was the seventh annual Ƶ Day, and through the years, the event has inspired donors to contribute over 29,000 gifts and nearly $10 million. The collective generosity of the Ƶ community continues to create opportunities that enhance the student experience. Gifts made on Ƶ Day also count toward the $250 million goal for the Ƶ LEADS Campaign.
“The spirit of Ƶ came through loud and clear on Ƶ Day,” said President Connie Ledoux Book. “The ripples of impact will be felt for years to come.”
The Ƶ community made gifts to more than 200 campus designations including scholarships, academic departments, high-impact learning opportunities like study abroad and service learning, athletics and student programs across campus.
From social gatherings to social media, the Ƶ family also engaged across the world. In addition to a special College Coffee, on-campus events included a Senior Toast for the Class of 2020 and Ƶ Day Hoopla prior to the women’s basketball game. President Book made a special appearance to call the first round at Ƶ Day Bingo. In total, the on-campus events and 40 alumni chapter events around the world drew more than 3,000 attendees.
The following donors generously sponsored Ƶ Day giving challenges to create five new endowed scholarships:
- Rob and Amy Heinrich P’22
- Warren and Holley Lutz P’20
- Mark and Jen Mullin P’19 P’22
- Sam and Joan Nevin P’22
- John ’81 and Miriam Sadler P’19 P’20
The following families sponsored special matches throughout the day.
- Ƶ Trustee Dave Porter and Jen Porter P’11 P’19
- Ƶ Trustee Jeanne Robertson and Jerry Robertson P’89 GP’17 GP’22
- Steve and Susie Paneyko P’20
- Clay and Cameron Smith P’22
- Greg and Sandy Janis P’20
- Gerald and Cheryl Misurek GP’22
- Ralph and Mandy Nelson P’20
- Jose and Janette Puig P’21
- Michael and Angie Simon P’17
- Michael and Cheryl Weiss P’22
In addition, Richard ’87 P’17 and Laurie Johnson P’17 made a planned gift in honor of Ƶ Day.
Learn more about this year’s historic day of giving at elon.edu/elonday.