It was One Wild Day, indeed, as nearly 700 Linfield University alumni, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends rallied May 12 to raise $526,456 as part of Linfield’s sixth-annual giving day.
Donors across the country, from Alaska to Florida, joined the annual, two-day effort. The gifts made supported a variety of funds, including student scholarships, the Wildcat Food Pantry and the Linfield Fund, which pays for COVID-19 testing, career-development resources, lab equipment and support for first-generation students, among other things.
“Above all, this is fundamentally a win for our students,” said Joseph Hunter, Linfield’s vice president for university advancement. “Our focus is, and will remain, supporting students and providing them with the resources to have an interdisciplinary and hands-on education.”
The money raised on One Wild Day easily exceeded the pre-set goal of $400,000. This is the sixth year in a row that the total raised on giving day surpassed the goal.
To help inspire gifts, the Linfield University Board of Trustees matched the first $200,000 donated through the event, with the match benefiting the Linfield Fund. But the Board’s was not the only match of the day. Eleven other matching challenges were created by other donors, parents, alumni and even a student to help inspire giving. These matches ended up adding another $54,000 to the giving day total.
“I am so grateful for the generosity of our community in giving both this week, and throughout the year,” Hunter said. “Through their giving, the Linfield community is directly impacting and transforming student lives for the better.”
For more information about supporting students through giving, call 503-883-2217 or visit linfield.edu/giving.
