LovEMU Giving Day 2021 was one for the ages — another record-setting event — with $280,654 raised from 1,017 gifts.
That’s a gain in $65,000 and more than 300 new gifts over last year’s totals (our previous record was $215,000 from 732 gifts in 2020).
All virtual for the second year in a row, 2021 surpassed expectations!
The grand total includes
- $104,556 for the University Fund for Resilience;
- $38,201 for the Student Tuition Relief Fund;
- and $82,765 for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund.
“These funds provide the building blocks for a bright and equitable future for each and every student,” said Braydon Hoover, director of development and annual giving. “We invited our community to help us envision how we can move Forward from this challenging year, and they answered ‘Together.’”
Other highlights of 2021 LovEMU Day:
- Unlocking over $100,000 in challenge match funds.
- Giving from donors in 45 states and six countries (thanks, Honduras, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Iraq and Brazil!)
- Watching the fierce competition on the leaderboards, as the Visual and Communication Arts Program, Women’s Volleyball Team, and the Black Student Alliance came away with big wins and $1,000 each.
- Hearing the many reasons why donors LovEMU.
Hoover again MC’ed the event from EMU’s Facebook Live channel, greeting the virtual audience in his robe at 6 a.m. and ending the day at the stroke of midnight with blue hair (at least, this year, he kept his hair).
Interspersed throughout the day were 1:1 interviews with a host of campus “celebrities,” each of whom have individually and collectively impacted the university in this most challenging year.
“Sitting down with these extraordinary folks is one of the most meaningful aspects of LovEMU for me,” Hoover said. “Hearing their stories about what EMU means to them, especially the ways in which we can move Forward Together, was particularly inspiring after the year we’ve collectively lived through.”
Look for an article with 1:1 Interview Highlights coming soon with sharing from these EMU community members:
- Manuel A. Nuñez ‘94, chair of EMU’s Board of Trustees;
- Senior class officers Akiel Baker, Liz Miller, Hannah Nichols, and Amanda Jasper,
- Our favorite director of dining services and inspiration for the lunchtime “Don’t Let Bruce Down Challenge” (and indeed you did not), Bruce Emmerson,
- David Chun, co-president of EMU’s newest student club, the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Alliance,
- President Susan Schultz Huxman,
- Jackie Font-Guzmán, executive director of diversity, equity and inclusion,
- Student Government Co-Presidents Justice Allen, Anisa Leonard, and Allison Shelly, and
- Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representatives Lauren Hartzler, Megan Breidigan, and Tim Jones.
Thanks to the many who donated and shared of their time to tell us how you LovEMU!
Special thanks to the LovEMU Day Team: Amelia Morrison, annual giving coordinator; Graham Stauffer ‘19, data analytics coordinator; Joshua Lyons, web developer and analyst; Laura Lehman MDiv ‘06, director of digital content and strategy; Rebekah Budnikas ‘15, social media manager; and Kristina Showalter ‘97, gifts receipting coordinator.