Final Total Surpasses Goal Of $80,000 In 33rd Annual GCCC Phonathon
Campus and community callers raise contributions for academic and technical scholarships
The 33rd Annual Garden City Community College Endowment Association Phonathon has reached and surpassed its goal of $80,000.
Callers and contributors concluded the fund raising campaign the night of Oct. 11, reaching a total of $79,116 for academic and technical scholarships to assist GCCC students, and late arriving gifts and pledges have now pushed the final total to $81,081.
Jeremy J. Gigot, association executive director, announced the conclusion of the endeavor today. He explained that eight teams of callers worked Oct. 1-11 and drew $43,850 in phone pledges over eight nights. That was coupled with $35,266 in contributions, pledges and matching gifts that were mailed in as part of the association’s two-part fall scholarship campaign, beginning in August. Since the final calls went out, an additional $1,965 has come in, putting the tally $1,081 past the objective.
“We want to thank all of the volunteers, everyone who offered gifts or pledges and the students who spent their evenings helping in the effort,” Gigot said. “We also want to share our gratitude with the faculty, staff and community residents who came out and made calls or assisted with data entry and other support.”
“In addition, I want to acknowledge the association’s board members and thank Stacey Diehl and her staff at Great Western Dining for the amazing snacks that helped sustain our volunteers,” said Gigot, who took charge just 14 days before the first calls went out. “This is a community that truly gives, and the outcome for the phonathon is a wonderful example of that commitment, dedication and generosity.”
The total from phone pledges built slowly over eight nights of calling, with an opening evening team of GCCC faculty and staff personnel raising $3,170 on Oct. 1, assisted by students from the Phi Theta Kappa academic honor society chapter. They were followed Oct. 2 by faculty, students and alumni from the GCCC Nursing and Allied Health Department, collecting $4,300; Oct. 3 by members of the GCCC Meat Judging Team and Student Government Association, receiving $8,665; and Oct. 4 by the campus chapter of the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, with representatives of the Criminal Justice, Fire Science and Paramedic Programs, raising $3,700 together.
During the second week of the effort, the GCCC Rodeo Team worked the phones Oct. 8, bringing in $7,995; followed Oct. 9 by fine arts faculty, staff and students, with $3,685; and Oct. 10 by students and faculty from the GCCC Cosmetology Program, raising $2,510.
Final night calling duties Oct. 11 were handled by area and community residents who serve on the Endowment Association Board of Directors, along with members of the League of United Latin American Citizens, reaching an evening tally of $9,825. GCCC Ambassador Scholars and Project KANCO representatives also pitched in to help cross the finish line.
The phonathon took place under the theme, “Branding the Future,” and approximately 200 volunteers assisted. The teams worked from the Endowment Room of GCCC’s Beth Tedrow Student Center, with additional college employees and retirees joining on several of the designated evenings, some on the campus and others working from home.
Verizon Wireless served as a major sponsor, loaning phones and providing all of the calling time minutes at no charge.
Initial results indicated that the association received 755 pledges, including 245 from first-time donors. Amounts ranged from $5 to $1,000.
While the calling component of the drive took place over eight evenings, the direct-mail phase of the campaign began in August, when more than 7,400 letters went out to GCCC alumni, friends and supporters.
The phonathon and mail drive comprise one of two major annual fund raising projects sponsored by the association. The other is a scholarship auction scheduled each spring.
GCCC NEWS RELEASE
DATE: Nov. 6, 2012
FOR USE: Immediate
CONTACT: Steve Quakenbush, 620-276-9627
