Students Show Appreciation During Annual Thank a Donor Day

Liz (left) and Kristin (right) Bateman hold posters on Thank a Donor Day.

Kerbie Batesman

Liz (left) and Kristin (right) Bateman hold posters on Thank a Donor Day.

Students, staff and faculty were able to have fun, get creative and show appreciation during the third annual Thank-A-Donor Day in the Memorial Student Center plaza. Several activities including signing thank you cards, creating signs, taking photos and recording video messages were available for students to show their gratitude for the donors who support Marshall University.

Krystle Davis, the program director of scholarships and donor relations with the Marshall University Foundation said donors play a huge role when it comes to supporting the Marshall Community by providing scholarships, learning supplies and travel opportunities for students.

“There are so many students here who, without scholarship dollars provided by donors, wouldn’t even be at Marshall,” Davis said. “The donors, usually alumni or a person who has a connection with Marshall University, really enjoy hearing from the students and knowing their donations have positively impacted their lives and made getting an education easier.”

Over 200 students expressed their gratitude during this year’s Thank-A-Donor day. Senior Evan Lewis said giving thanks is the least he can do for the ones who have made his college career possible.

“Donors have made it easier for me to attend Marshall, so signing a thank you card is an easy way to show them how much I appreciate their generosity.”

— Evan Lewis

“Donors have made it easier for me to attend Marshall, so signing a thank you card is an easy way to show them how much I appreciate their generosity,” Lewis said. “I hope one day I’ll be able to give back and make things easier for a future Marshall student.”

With music provided by WMUL and the Marshall University Alumni Association giving away free items including t-shirts and refreshments, the Thank-A-Donor day event drew in students by “taking over” the student center plaza. Davis said having different forms of entertainment was an effective way to attract students.

“Not only were there thank you cards, but we also took photos of the students posing with the gratitude signs they made and we had a video booth where we sat down and interviewed students who wanted a more interactive way to send their thank you message,” Davis said. “We wanted everyone to just enjoy the festivities and everything else that was going on for our event.”

Photos and videos from the event can be found on Instagram at @themufoundation, Twitter at @mufoundation and Facebook at The Marshall University Foundation, Inc.

Kerbie Gibbs can be contacted at [email protected]