November 15 was National Philanthropy Day, but on Double Drive, 24 hours wasn’t nearly enough. Giving – from benches and classrooms to entire buildings – makes UMW shine. As thousands came together to embrace generosity on this national day, UMW rolled out Philanthropy Week.
“With one day, we couldn’t really reach a very big audience,” said Annual Giving Associate Brooke Matta. “This is a way to highlight a number of different aspects of philanthropy at Mary Washington.”
The “Phil Was Here” campaign was a big part of that reach, with students hunting for “Phil” on benches, fountains and other items that were gifted to campus. Those who took and posted selfies with him were entered into a drawing to win cool Mary Washington gear.
“Phil is a way to make students more aware of what on campus would not exist without philanthropic donations,” Matta said.
A Wednesday night concert by UMW’s very own Wylder wrapped up the week. Members of the Washington, D.C., indie-folk band – Will McCarry ’14, Russell Michelson ’14, Lavar Edmonds ’14 and Lonnie Southall ’13, M.Ed. ’14 – returned to their alma mater to deliver their soft signature sound in the Hurley Convergence Center Digital Auditorium.
Festivities also included COAR’s annual Head Start Gift Wrapping Party, where students wrap hundreds of boxes to be filled with goodies and distributed to preschoolers in the Fredericksburg area. A Chalk the Rock event had students scrawling notes of gratitude to donors across Spirit Rock. And Rock Your Cause calls for participants to wear T-shirts and other apparel representing movements – on-campus or off – they’re most passionate about. Those who took and posted selfies in their special duds were eligible to win prizes.
For more information, visit the Philanthropy Week website or contact Brooke Matta at 540-654-2070 or bmatta@umw.edu.