The VMI community came together from all over the globe to support cadets during the Day of Giving Aug. 27, 2019.
All 88 living alumni classes were represented, and 1,102 donors raised $257,056, all of which went directly to support scholarships – merit/need and athletic – for the Corps of Cadets.
The Day of Giving kicked off at midnight Aug. 27, and donations soon began flowing in.
Classes with living alumni were divided into three teams – red, white and yellow – competing for the highest dollar amount raised. The red team encompassed 1941-69, yellow was 1970-97 and white was 1998-2020+3.
Competition was stiff among the classes. For the red team, 1953 led in the early hours but was overtaken by 1965 in the afternoon. 1965 held the lead for the red team win.
On the yellow team, 1973 was ahead early on, was edged out by 1990 in the afternoon but 1984 come on with a strong finish to win. The Class of 1990 did, however, amass the most donors from any class year. In the youngest segment, the race went back and forth several times – even the 2020+3 rat class held the lead for a few brief minutes. The Class of 2010 led in the morning, then 2005 surged forward in the afternoon, but – in a stunning upset – was overtaken in the late evening hours by their rats: The Class of 2008.
Be on the lookout for Moe sporting the Classes of 1965, 1984 and 2008 on his jersey at home football games this fall!
Primarily an online event, the VMI family was able to closely track progress online, as well as receiving periodic emails and checking social media posts. Christian Heilman, Alumni Agencies digital content manager, brought live updates from the operations center and later from the SRC march down.
Our sincerest thanks to all who participated in this event in any way.
