The St. Joseph’s College community came together for Giving Day on Tuesday to raise more than $59,000 toward helping students stay in school and on track to graduate amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The College’s second annual Giving Day raised nearly $59,325 from 432 donors in just 24 hours.
The one-day fundraising event — which celebrated St. Joseph the Worker Day — focuses on the needs of St. Joseph’s College students during the coronavirus outbreak and moving forward.
Many donors sent encouraging notes to students with their contributions. “We are all in this together & we will get through this together. Stay strong, stay safe,” wrote one donor to the Student Emergency Fund, supporting tuition assistance.
The Student Emergency Fund raised $7,105 by the end of the day.
Other donors congratulated students on their hard work during these unprecedented times — including the nursing department for training skilled front-line workers.
The generous contributions helped St. Joseph’s reach most of its goals.
The College surpassed its goal for funding training for SJC student nurses, raising $2,550. Other projects — including the Undergraduate New Student Book Fund ($1,235) and Service Through Campus Ministry ($1,500) — met its goals.
The fundraiser also raised money for the COVID-19 Student Emergency Assistance Fund, the College’s food pantries, and the general SJC Fund.
Vice President for Institutional Advancement Rory Shaffer-Walsh said she is grateful to see so many people coming together to support St. Joseph’s College students.
“On behalf of our students, faculty and staff, we express our thanks and appreciation to everyone who has donated and supported SJC’s Giving Day 2020,” she said. “This is a special moment, and every gift really makes a difference.”
The campaign had a significant presence on social media throughout the day. Check out some of the posts below:
This #SJCNY campaign is only $100 from reaching its $1,500 target. Let's unite and get this project fully funded! #ReadySetGive #SJCNYStrong?https://t.co/f4UZOdBMKQ
— Lisa Galasso (@LG_SJCNY) April 30, 2020
My students inspire me! https://t.co/xzcm6pRERq
— mdelmonico (@MaureenDel) April 29, 2020
READY. SET. GIVE! Beta Upsilon Delta encourages you to Support St. Joes students by participating in the second anual #sjcnyGivingDay ! @SJCNY Click the link and donate what you can to one of the 6 projects to make an impact ??https://t.co/lfKbPuT8fG
— Beta Upsilon Delta ♛ (@BUD_1978) April 29, 2020