The University of Lynchburg’s GiveDays, held April 15-16, raised $901,525 — a more than 70% increase over last year’s event. This year, the annual fundraiser was expanded to two days with a theme of “Two Days. One Hive. Infinite Impact.”
In what Shawn Wood, associate vice president of advancement, described as a “powerful collective effort,” 1,335 individuals made 1,470 gifts on GiveDays, crushing the 1,000-donor goal.
The total included 333 new donors, making their first gifts to the University and contributing in excess of $170,342. More than 650 were alumni, 122 were students, 138 were faculty or staff, and 187 were parents of current students.
More than $360,000 was donated to The Lynchburg Fund and 19 matches and challenges were completed — several prompted by the University’s board of trustees, which combined for nearly $300,000 in matches, challenges, and individual gifts.
More than $56,341 was received for the Fox Student Retention Fund, a fund established in January by Board Chair Julie Doyle.
“When I established the Fox Fund to provide assistance to students who were experiencing financial challenges, I had hoped that the purpose of this fund would inspire others to contribute as well,” Doyle said.
“Thanks to the generous donations made … during GiveDays, the Fox Fund will be able to help many more Lynchburg students continue their education in the coming years. I was so grateful for the financial help my relatives, Eloise and Foster Fox, gave to me when I was in college in the 1980s, and it is wonderful that their legacy of generosity is continuing on through the Fox Fund.”
The gifts to the Fox Fund came from just 12 donors, including $50,000 from Daniel and Mary Elizabeth Caramagno, parents of a second-year Lynchburg student. According to Wood, the Caramagnos told him, “We’d like the donation to go towards supporting students who are struggling to pay their tuition,” which resulted in their gift to the Fox Fund.
Some areas of campus went above and beyond on GiveDays, running their own social media campaigns and positively impacting fundraising in other ways.
In the weeks leading up to GiveDays, Amy Enneking, administrative coordinator for the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Westover Honors, ran a social media campaign on Facebook and Instagram, encouraging people to donate to Westover’s five funds.
On GiveDay, Dr. Price Blair, assistant director of Westover Honors, volunteered for the “pie-in-the-face” fundraiser, where donors show their “I gave!” sticker in exchange for the opportunity to throw a cream pie in the face of students, faculty, and staff.
Westover’s goal was 20 donors, Enneking said, but they ended up with 46. Twenty-six were alumni and eight were current students. The total amount raised for Westover’s funds was $3,081, which included a $1,000 challenge gift.
“We were pleasantly surprised,” Enneking said.
GiveDays was the highlight of Founders Week, April 12-18, which celebrated the founding of the University in 1903 as Virginia Christian College.
During the week, there were numerous service opportunities, supporting Interfaith Outreach, the Free Clinic of Central Virginia, Park View Community Mission, World Help, the YWCA, Lynchburg Parks and Recreation’s Templeton Neighborhood Center, and Dell Thrift.
Students presented their research at the annual Student Scholar Showcase and were honored for their academic achievements at the annual Academic Awards Ceremony. Students and staff were inducted into Alpha Alpha Alpha, the national honor society for first-generation college students.
The CEO — Center for Career Engagement Opportunities — conducted a job-search workshop in Hopwood Auditorium, a GiveDays cookout was held on The Dell, and students, faculty, and staff assembled for “The Walk of Legacy” in honor of Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar, who will retire as Lynchburg’s president in June.
Maria Caro ’28 MS, a student in Lynchburg’s clinical mental health counseling program and an employee in the Office of Enrollment, was named the 2026 Student Employee of the Year during Founders Week.
As one of her nominators for the award wrote, “Maria doesn’t just give tours, she builds the foundational relationships that turn prospective students into enrolled ones. She is an indispensable asset to the enrollment office and a model of student employee excellence.”
Also during Founders Week, the baseball team clobbered Methodist University 15-1, women’s golf placed second in the Virginia State Golf Association Women’s Intercollegiate Championship, and the men’s lacrosse team soundly defeated Shenandoah University 27-8.
“We are absolutely floored by the success of our first two-day GiveDays,” said Becca Hatcher ’13, ’16 MBA, director of annual giving and alumni communications. “Our board of trustees really stepped up and supported our efforts with an incredible seven challenges to help meet donor increments along the way.
“We are so grateful to everyone who gave, supported the days on and off campus, and who show up every day for our students. Without the help of many, GiveDays would not be the success that it was. The campus was abuzz with excitement during Founders Week, which really helped get our students engaged in giving this year.”
