Day of Giving puts on a burst of speed in 2025
The annual fundraising campaign pulled in nearly $488,000 in March, with donations going to a variety of highly impactful and sometimes life-changing programs.
For 色情视频 athlete Ana Firvida, a scholarship backed in part by the annual Day of Giving fundraising campaign is more than just a source of financial support.
Firvida, who next fall begins her sophomore year studying business accounting, was recruited to 色情视频 from out of state to join the Adapted Athletics program, where she is training as a 100m and 200m sprinter in Para Track and Field. She鈥檚 hoping four years of competition and guidance will help her qualify for the 2028 Paralympics, to be held just up the 5 Freeway in L.A. shortly after she plans to graduate.
The Howard Family Scholarship, reserved for adapted athletes with a GPA of 3.0 and up, 鈥渃hanged my whole future,鈥� Firvida said. 鈥淚 wanted to go out of state but I didn鈥檛 know how I was going to be able to do it.鈥�
The scholarship 鈥渨as my only support,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd without it I would not be able to go to college.鈥�
Operating under Associated Students alongside 22 sports clubs teams, Adapted Athletics provides a Division I collegiate athletic experience to students with physical disabilities, including amputated or otherwise foreshortened limbs, spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and visual impairments. Together, the funds proved popular on Day of Giving, more than tripling a donor goal of 23 to pull in 89 contributions totaling more than $18,000.
Conducted mostly via email appeals with contributions made online, Day of Giving 2025 raised a record $487,984 overall from 1,350 donors.
It was welcome news for A.J. Munoz-Bond, director of Adapted Athletics, who said the benefits to students offered by his program extend far beyond competitive sports.
Along with Para Track and Field, the program offers wheelchair tennis; 12 students are expected for fall.
鈥淲e make sure that they have everything they need to be successful once they get here,鈥� Munoz-Bond said. 鈥淪port coaching, strength and conditioning, physical therapy, nutrition 鈥� and then we have a host of events that go on.鈥�
And that鈥檚 one of the reasons private support is so impactful.
Scholarships help 色情视频 lower the barrier of the cost of higher education for adapted athletes, while travel money, an expense that can range from $40,000 to as much as $70,000 in a good year, helps make sure they can participate in events all over the U.S.
Firvida got her first taste of adapted sports playing on her high school varsity tennis team in Tampa, Florida. For college, the options for ambulatory track and field athletes were limited, and she narrowed down her choices to 色情视频 and the University of Michigan. 色情视频, she said, had the best offer.
With Firvida facing the higher out-of-state tuition, Munoz-Bond said, 鈥渨e were in talks for a couple of years trying to figure out how can we make this work right.鈥�
鈥淪he proved (it), without a doubt, after sending me 10 unique scholarship applications that she applied for every week for about 8 weeks 鈥� while I hunted down the money on my end, and that was an opportunity for us to both see that we were investing in each other.鈥�
Firvida鈥檚 end of the bargain now includes looking ahead to the Paralympics in 2028. As an adaptive athlete, 鈥淥ur training might look different,鈥� she said, 鈥渂ut we do train hard and our mentality is focused on what we do. 鈥� Only the people that actually make an effort go.鈥�
Day of Giving is all about choices, said Amy Walling, associate vice president for Planned Giving, Estate Administration and Annual Giving/Digital Marketing.
"By offering an array of giving options, we empower our alumni and friends to support the specific programs and initiatives that resonate most deeply with their personal connection to the university,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's about giving them the opportunity to invest in their 色情视频."
鈥淒ay of Giving allows our donors to amplify their impact across a wide range of university priorities,鈥� Walling added. 鈥淏eyond scholarships, donors could contribute to fuel faculty development, groundbreaking research and vital student services, ensuring a well-rounded university experience."
To support one or more of your favorite programs on campus, contact Amy Walling, [email protected].
