Day of Giving = A HUGE SUCCESS! (thank you)

The numbers were staggering – in a good way. No, in a GREAT way! Humbling, gratifying, exceeding expectations. (In case you can’t tell? I’m pretty excited!)
 
I’m talking, of course, about yesterday’s Day of Giving. And boy, did Running Red Fox Nation give! Our athletic director, Tim Murray, has spoken about creating a “culture of giving” and based on this Day of Giving campaign, I think we’ve done just that in the realm of Marist College track and cross country.
 
OK. Here are the numbers. They are HIGHLY NEAT.
 
Number of donors: 224
Number of dollars donated: $47,188
 
At the beginning of the initiative, our aspirational goal was to get to 100 donors and roughly $10,000. We exceeded the $10,000 goal BEFORE the Day of Giving (Month of Giving?). We eclipsed 100 donors early on the Day of Giving. In an alumni group text, we kept goading it higher: 125, 150 … I joked in the morning that if we got to 200 donors, I’d be so thrilled that I’d retire! Ooops. We got there before my bedtime (which, as many of you know, is quite early and well before the clock struck midnight on the Day of Giving).
 
Donations kept streaming in right up until midnight. And not nickle-and-dime donations. Real, substantial sums of money. The “brick” incentive -- $500 and/or $1,000 for an honorary brick or part of retaining wall at the new track facility – was certainly an effective carrot. Many, many of you opted for a “brick level” donation. For that, we are extremely appreciative!
 
Now that we have established an outstanding “culture of giving,” it’s time to keep that momentum going for the new Track and Turf facility at North Field. No, no, don’t worry, I’m not gonna “hit you up” for another donation right now. But, there is (and will be) more work to do in that area. Not today, though. Not now.
 
The theme for today (and, really, every day) is gratitude – for the loyal support of so many members of our track and cross country family. Truly neat.
 
And yes. Several of you have asked! Will there be a “grand opening” for the new track? While my input in these matters will probably be somewhat limited, my “vision” for that grand opening would be to get hundreds of past and present Marist Track folks convened for a grand opening “Victory Lap” on the new track. Hopefully, that will happen at some point in 2025. Whenever it happens, it will have been a lifetime in the making.