POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Vassar College Athletic Department, in conjunction with the Office of Advancement, held its fourth 27-hour crowd-funding challenge, #Give2Brew, on October 6-7.  Running from 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 6 until 12 p.m. on Friday, October 7, #Give2Brew shattered the previous record, raising a total of $495,170.

The initial goal of 2,000 donors was reached at 4:25 p.m. on Thursday, triggering a $10,000 donation to the Brewers Fund courtesy of Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley and her husband, John Bradley. The support continued to pour in from there, finishing with an amazing 3,430 gifts.

The Brewers Fund also benefited from the generosity of Chris and Janet English, both members of the Class of 1982, who matched President Bradley's gift with their own $10,000 upon achieving the donor goal.

Additionally, in memory of his wife Linda Morgan '73, former Vassar Women's Basketball player and champion of Vassar Athletics, Michael Karam generously made a gift of $25,000 to support Brewer Athletics and the Brewers Fund. Each team received $1,000 when they achieved their donor goal.

"The #Give2Brew campaign was a tremendous success, not only in terms of dollars raised, but also the incredibly positive outreach from our friends, family, and alumni throughout the course of the 27 hours," Director of Athletics and Physical Education Michelle Walsh noted. "Thank you to all of our dedicated supporters who demonstrated their unwavering Brewer pride!"

Each program set dollar goals for the challenge and student-athletes participated by creating personalized videos, highlighting how funds raised would benefit their program while also showcasing their individual creativity.  These videos were posted to their team-specific social media accounts throughout the challenge.

The success of the challenge would not have been possible without the generous support of our parents, alumni and friends over the past 27 hours.  In the coming days, the Vassar athletic department will continue to thank its donors through personal phone calls and hand-written letters.  It's because of your support that our student-athletes will continue to excel in the classroom and in competition.

To learn more about the impact of gifts to The Brewers Fund and your favorite team, check out this story at https://www.vassar.edu/news/october-brewers-fund-challenge-support-student-athletes by Larry Hertz, Vassar College Office of Communications.