Alums David and Sharon Spaight supported a match for laboratory equipment for the Natural Sciences Building. Graduate Jim Lico propelled the College of Business’s Giving Blueday by creating college scholarships. And to support students in need, UM-Dearborn’s leadership and Alumni Society Board donated toward the UM-Dearborn Go Blue Guarantee, which is a free tuition program for high-achieving students in low-income situations.
“As UM-Dearborn embarks on its 10th Giving Blueday on March 13, we celebrate a fun decade of giving and 65 years of campus history and stories,” says Annual Giving and Advancement Services Director Eva Gogola.
Over the past nine Giving Bluedays, UM-Dearborn saw more than 3,000 donors give north of $850,000. You can continue supporting students by giving.
Here are some highlights for UM-Dearborn’s Giving Blueday 2024.
• For the first time since 2020, an in-person Giving Brewday, which is a partnership event with UM-Dearborn Athletics, will take place. It’s from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at UM-Dearborn alum-owned Downey Brewing Company, 13121 Prospect St. in Dearborn. During the event, trivia teams will have the chance to win an hourly prize of $1,000 for the UM-Dearborn cause of their choice. Register your team today. Gogola gives a support shoutout to the people championing the event. “Without the support from alumni leaders like Kevin Blue and Tom Wille, Giving Brewday Trivia wouldn’t have been possible,” she says.
• To celebrate the 10th Giving Blueday, channel your inner Letterman and help UM-Dearborn craft a “Top 10 reasons you know you graduated from UM-Dearborn” list. Finish the phrase “You know you graduated from UM-Dearborn when…”. Submit up to five responses by 11:59 p.m. today, March 12. “You can be clever, funny, sentimental — but most importantly, we want you to be UM-Dearborn,” Gogola says. The top 10 stories will win UM-Dearborn swag and be featured on Giving Blueday — with the standout entry earning two club seats at the Michigan football game on Labor Day weekend.
* Participate in online challenges and matches on behalf of UM-Dearborn. There’s a first-time donor $50 match. A hashtag social media contest of cute pets and kids in U-M gear will add $1,000 toward a fund of the winners’ choice. And there’s a faculty and staff challenge too.
Looking for the right place to give?
When supporting programs such as SURE, Study Abroad, the EIC, the ECEC or the Mardigian Library, you lift up the hands-on, practice-based learning approach that UM-Dearborn is known for. Urgent student needs can be addressed by making a gift to CAPS or the Student Food Pantry. Support local student experiences through the TRIO program. Learn how the SOAR program for nontraditional adult learners proves you can earn a degree at any stage of life. There’s also the First Generation Student Organization, whose work provides support to students and their families going through college for the first time.
Questions? Reach out to Eva Gogola or Assistant Director of Annual Giving Katie Ledford.
