Western Colorado University raises over $200,000 in second Mountaineer Gives Day

What does it look like when a university community shows up for its students? At Western Colorado University, it looks like nearly 1,000 donations in a single day.

During its second annual Mountaineer Gives Day, Western surpassed its $125,000 goal, raising more than $200,000 through 992 gifts from 810 individual donors. That total more than doubled both the dollars raised and the number of donors from the inaugural event last year.

But beyond the numbers, the day showed that Western has a growing culture of philanthropy and a sense of shared investment in the University’s future.

“This Mountaineer Gives Day shattered everyone’s expectations,” Western’s Vice President of Advancement and Executive Director of the WCU Foundation, Shelley Thompson, said. “It was incredible to see what we can accomplish when our alumni, students, faculty, staff, and the community come together to support the experiences that make Western so special.”

This year, 34 programs and departments across campus rallied their networks, with students and alumni helping spread the message and the community stepping up to support causes from academic programs and scholarships to athletics and student services.

Wellness Elevated, a program directed by Dr. Lance Dalleck that brings community members onto campus to receive one-on-one health monitoring and personal training with students in Western’s Recreation, Exercise & Sport Science program, raised nearly $23,000 to support graduate assistant scholarships.

Western’s women’s volleyball team brought in more than $18,000 to help pay for travel to a preseason tournament in Hawai‘i, beating the team’s initial goal of $12,000. With 162 donations, the team reached its goal in just a few days.

The Great Divide Scholarship Fund, created by Professor Dr. Gary Van Guilder, raised more than $9,000 toward an endowed scholarship supporting students in Western’s Applied Exercise & Sport Science program. Mountaineer Gives Day was just the start of Dr. Van Guilder’s plans to build the fund to at least $20,000 through a summer bikepacking trip along the 2,400-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

Together, the campaigns underscore the role of the Western Colorado University Foundation in supporting a wide range of opportunities on campus, from hands-on academic experiences and the arts to athletics, wellness, and student success.

The unprecedented participation across the entire Western community set a high bar for years to come.

“I think this year proved that Mountaineer Gives Day is more than a moment. It’s a movement,” Thompson said. “Every year, we’re seeing more people invest in Western, and it’s that kind of belief in our students that will take this university into its next chapter.”