Grove City College raised more than $1.5 million in a single day during its annual Wolverine Challenge fundraiser on Nov. 19.
“This year’s Wolverine Challenge exceeded all expectations,” Grove City College President Paul J. McNulty ’80 said. “We are continually blessed by the generosity of our alumni, parents and friends throughout the year and were enormously encouraged by the response to a 24-hour challenge window this year. This level of giving is highly unusual in private higher education.”
Now in its fifth year, the Wolverine Challenge is a critical end-of-year fundraising initiative that asks the College community to answer its important call to support private Christian higher education. In past years, the challenge was a sustained week-long effort. Its goal to inspire donors to invest in the College with donations of any amount led more than 3,200 individuals to give to the institution, compared to 2,970 in 2018.
“In shifting the Wolverine Challenge from a week-long initiative to just a single day, our expectation for participation was somewhat conservative. We were thrilled that a record number of donors participated and even more so that their donations topped $1.5 million,” Jeffrey D. Prokovich ’89, vice president for Advancement said.
The money raised will be earmarked for scholarships and priority funding areas that improve the student experience at one of the nation’s best Christian liberal arts and sciences colleges. Since the College does not accept any federal funding, including student loans and grants, to maintain its independence, this type of initiative is critical in its ability to help students make a Grove City College education possible.
“Grove City College’s unique approach to financing private education depends on the generosity of those who see the value in providing an excellent Christ-centered education at a reasonable and transparent cost,” McNulty said. “We greatly appreciate our generous donors and the vote of confidence they have in our ability to develop tomorrow’s leaders of the highest proficiency, principles and purpose.”
As in past years, fraternities and sororities engage in a healthy competition to garner the highest percentage of alumni support. This year, the Sigma Theta Chi sorority won bragging rights and the Challenge Cup with nearly 25 percent of sorority alumni making donations.
To support Grove City College visit www.gcc.edu/giving.