March 10 Gives Holy Cross Reason to Celebrate

Holy Cross students grabbing their cup of joe at Cool Beans today may puzzle over the announcement of a new “holiday” on the calendar. Coffee cup holders heralding March 10 as Philanthropy Day, along with balloons and streamers in the Hogan Campus Center, signal one of the great aspects of the Holy Cross experience. When they graduate, Holy Cross students will become members of a loyal alumni family, deeply committed to the College and eager to offer fellow alumni career advice and support.

Here are five things you need to know about Philanthropy Day.

WHAT IS PHILANTHROPY DAY? Philanthropy Day is when resources from tuition, room and board run out. From March 10 to June 30, the College operates on the generosity of its alumni, parents and friends — both from contributions made this year and income from the endowment.

WHY DOES HOLY CROSS HAVE EXTRA REASON TO CELEBRATE? Holy Cross has a strong history of loyal support from alumni and is consistently in the top 10 colleges nationally for participation. The Feb. 26 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted Holy Cross’ alumni giving rate. “The College is fortunate to have more than 2,400 alumni volunteers who write class letters and contact their classmates to encourage them to give year to year,” says Margaret Bramley, interim director of the Holy Cross Fund.

WHAT IS HOLY CROSS’ PARTICIPATION RATE? Despite the worst recession in decades, a remarkable 51 percent of alumni contributed to the College last year, and collectively gave more than $24 million, including a record $7.92 million to the Holy Cross Fund for current use.

WHY IS PHILANTHROPY SO IMPORTANT TO HOLY CROSS? “Through their gifts to the Holy Cross Fund, alumni, parents and friends have a direct impact on the educational experience of our students,” says Bramley. “These dollars provide essential funding for current and ongoing expenses including financial aid, faculty resources, library books and periodicals, athletics, and maintenance of facilities — all critical to providing students access to Holy Cross’ unique undergraduate liberal arts education, rooted in the Jesuit tradition.”

WHAT WOULD HOLY CROSS DO WITHOUT GIFTS? Without any gifts, the College would certainly still operate for a full year, but at what cost? “Think of all the wonderful opportunities students have today,” says Bramley. “Various student programs, speaker series, and co-curricular activities would surely suffer.”

Related Information:

• Alumni & Friends

March 10, 2010|nm