Without the success of Marietta’s annual Day of Giving, Education Studies major Karsen Dye ’23 (Marietta, Ohio) would not have been able to travel to her internship in Texas.
Dye and fellow student Abby Hartshorn ’23 (Kenton, Ohio) served as advocates for this year’s Day of Giving, which surpassed the set gift total and donor goals — reaching 1,203 donors who gave $283,595. In addition to directing their gifts to the areas of greatest need, student aid and The Pioneer Club, there were mini campaigns to support internship experiences in Sport Management, classroom technology, the Esports Arena, STREAM Camp, the WCMO-TV studio, Global Connections, the Veterans Service Center and internship grants through the Career Center.
“I am doing an Internship at Rice University in Houston, Texas, for my senior capstone. Because of Day of Giving, I was able to receive a grant to help me get down here,” Dye said. “The Career Center is definitely close to my heart. Without the support they give to me and all Marietta College students, there is no way I would have gotten the opportunity to come here. I have learned so much from this experience, and it feels good to know I have people back home in the Career Center supporting me.”
The day was led by Marietta College Alumni Association Council Development Committee, Chair Nancey Kaplan McCann ’76, Laura Stange Regan ’94, Honnie Gordon ’84 and Maureen Morgan ’93, as well as the Advancement Office. Kat Gloor, Senior Director of Annual Giving, said there were 147 Volunteer Advocates, including Dye and Hartshorn.
The Board of Trustees boosted the totals by $50,000 when the 1,000 donor Trustee Challenge was reached and also sponsored three Power Hours that matched donations with additional gifts.
“We are deeply grateful for the incredible generosity of the Marietta community,” Gloor said. “Your outpouring of support during our seventh annual Day of Giving truly demonstrates the incredible impact that can be made when we all come together to share our love. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to Marietta College and for helping to ensure that today’s Pioneers have access to the very best educational opportunities.”
Bethany McFarland Leslie ’12, Director of Major Gifts, organized the second annual Pioneer Peloton Challenge, which was held virtually and in-person in Marietta.
“A huge thanks to the mastermind and generous supporter behind the ride, Andrew Ferguson ’95, whose $5,000 gift will make an incredible impact on today’s students,” Leslie said. “And to Chuck Gowdy ’07 whose output score (669) put him at the top of the leaderboard … Additionally, thanks to Scott ’11 and Rachel Burnham ’12, who hosted our in-person group at Rockstar Wellness in Marietta.
Various groups competed during the day for prizes. Some of the winners included the Class of 1984 (highest participation at 18.6%), which will receive free drinks at Homecoming, Chi Omega (highest participation at 17.9%), which will receive a $500 prize, and Tau Kappa Epsilon (highest participation at 17.9%), which will have a $500 prize donated to Greek Life in the fraternity’s name. The Athletic Challenge, sponsored by Rick ’65 and Ann Hazelton ’66 and Honnie Gordon ’84, saw Esports earning a $1,000 prize after reaching 23.5% participation.
Hartshorn, who does digital engagement in the Advancement Office as a student worker, said she was impacted by being able to connect with so many alumni during the special day.
“Personally, I really enjoy seeing alumni give to athletics; it is a huge part of the campus community,” Hartshorn said. “As a student-athlete (tennis) it is awesome to see the support for the teams here to succeed. As a student seeing the amount of alumni give really lets me know that no matter what, students have people supporting them in everything they do. It means a lot to know because of the amazing Alumni we have I can accomplish my goals."