By Bill Studenc
Western Carolina University is making plans for its inaugural all-in day of giving to the institution, a 24-hour fundraising event designed to benefit all areas of the university by inviting members of the WCU community to make donations to the identified priorities that mean the most to them.
Called “One Day for Western” and set for Wednesday, March 29, the effort will benefit activities ranging from helping WCU’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band travel to Ireland for the 2024 St. Patrick’s Day Parade and increasing scholarships for Catamount student-athletes to boosting an emergency fund to assist students in times of personal crisis and supporting study-abroad opportunities for Brinson Honors College students.
“We have asked our campus partners to identify and advocate for the annual giving priorities in their respective areas where they need additional, immediate-use financial resources in order to better serve our students,” said Rebekah Cheney, WCU’s director of annual giving. “We will then encourage alumni, faculty, staff, students, parents and friends of the university to donate to the area or areas to which they have the closest personal connection.”
A dozen distinct units of the university will be participating in One Day for Western, with a variety of giving opportunities under each unit, Cheney said.
One Day for Western also will feature several donor challenges in which certain supporters will increase the amount of their giving based on hitting a dollar amount target or reaching a designated participation rate. Those donor challenges will be announced throughout the month of March.
In addition to learning more about giving priorities that will be featured during One Day for Western, members of the university community can navigate to oneday.wcu.edu to learn about how to support these efforts beyond making a financial contribution, or call 828-227-7335.
This year, the 12 units of campus taking part in One Day for Western are: Athletics, the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts, the Brinson Honors College, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the College of Education and Allied Professions, the College of Engineering and Technology, the College of Health and Human Sciences, Graduate School and Research, Hunter Library, the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and Student Support initiatives.