Grove City College alumni and friends rose to meet the Wolverine Challenge and donated more than $1.96 million in a fundraising marathon.
Now in its eighth year, the College’s pre-Thanksgiving Day of giving yielded a total of $1,965,861.50 for the annual fund, scholarships, and other areas that improve the student experience.
“Our alumni and friends really answered the call and gave generously through the Wolverine Challenge to support Grove City College, and specifically, our students,” said Vice President for Advancement Jeffrey Prokovich ’89. “They know that the high quality, Christian education we provide here is preparing the leaders our world needs for tomorrow. It’s a cause – and a fun day – they really want to get behind.”
The Wolverine Challenge is intended to encourage more stakeholders – alumni, parents and others who share the College’s mission, vision, and values – to become financial supporters. The number of donors has grown from just over 700 in 2015 to 3,550 this year.
Again this year, the Paul G. Benedum, Jr. Foundation offered a generous $20,000 match for all donations to Grove City College scholarships. This dollar-for-dollar match encouraged donors to effectively double their donation to any of the more than 400 scholarship funds the College awards each year. Scholarships are a key strategy in the College’s commitment to affordability and independence.
Grove City College fraternities and sororities traditionally compete for the highest percentage of participation during the Wolverine Challenge. Greek alumni support is critical to the success of the Challenge, with 45 percent of all donors being members of one of the College’s 18 sororities and fraternities. For the fifth year in a row, the sisters of the Sigma Theta Chi sorority took the top spot in the Greek Challenge with over 22.14% of their membership donating, followed closely by the brothers of the Adelphikos fraternity with 19.38% participating.
“In the current economic climate, the generosity we’ve seen among our alumni and friends is truly astounding, and it speaks volumes about the confidence they have placed in us to educate students who are poised to go out and make a difference for the greater good. Supporting them takes all of us, and the Wolverine Challenge is a time when we all come together to ensure student success both now and beyond graduation. We’re so grateful to all those who have made giving to Grove City College a priority,” Prokovich said.
Grove City College faces unique financial pressures as one of just a handful of American colleges that does not accept any federal funding, including student grants and loans. Forgoing taxpayer support allows the College to be truly independent and pursue its foundational mission as a Christian institution of higher education. To support Grove City College, visit gcc.edu/give.