Posted by Mary Wimberley on 2011-02-23

 

Samford University will celebrate Philanthropy Difference Day with two events designed to make students aware of the impact that donors have on the university and their lives.

The main event will be a first-ever Abnormal Formal on Monday, Feb. 28, a date chosen to underscore the importance of philanthropy at Samford. A cookie give-away on Friday, Feb. 25, will help promote the formal. Both events are sponsored by Samford for Life student initiative.

 “February 28 is the theoretical day we make the shift from operating on tuition dollars to donor dollars for the remainder of the fiscal year,” explains event coordinator Kimberly Cripps, Samford associate director of annual giving.

By the numbers, that means that 31 percent of the Samford experience, March through May, is made possible by donations from Samford alumni and friends.

Monday’s  “formal” in Bashinsky Fieldhouse, 7 -10 p.m., will feature the expected  music, food and dancing, plus an inflatable obstacle course, photo booth, cotton candy and karaoke music.  In keeping with the theme, dress can be formal or casual.

There is no admission fee, but donations are requested for the Student Emergency Assistance Fund, which is available to assist students with unexpected needs. Each $1 donation will be worth one ticket that can be redeemed for one item such as cotton candy, popcorn, a funnel cake or a turn in a photo booth.

Samford for Life is an undergraduate initiative to promote an awareness of the importance of giving to the university. A current emphasis is the Student Emergency Assistance Fund.

Details on the formal and the importance of philanthropy at Samford will be available, with free cookies, at a display on Ben Brown Plaza Friday, Feb. 25, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

For information on either event, contact Cripps at kcripps@samford.edu.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.