‘Grateful Vols’ give back
The first “Grateful Vol Day” afforded students the opportunity to thank UT donors.
One idea remains consistent on Rocky Top: Vols help Vols. With more than one billion dollars in donations to the University of Tennessee, alumni, faculty and community donors continue to support scholarships and student life at UT.
Students came McClung Plaza Sept. 19 to show their appreciation. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., volunteers and staff attracted students with free t-shirts, signs and simple gratitude to the first “Grateful Vol Day” initiative.
Students participated by writing thank you letters to donors. By noon, workers ran out of shirts. Even without the free incentive, students still stopped to express their thanks.
“Our goal today is to thank every single donor,” Senior Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations Brittany Fowler said. “Those getting handwritten notes have been giving to the university for 40 years.”
After writing letters, students could enter to win a grand prize of an Orca cooler filled with UT related swag. Students also took time to record videos thanking alumni for their generous contributions to the university.
The Office of Alumni Affairs hopes to make the event an annual staple.
Director of the Center for Student Alumni Programs Gina Martin said, “Today was super, super successful. We got to engage a lot of students at this event and thanked a ton of donors, so I definitely think it’s something that will become tradition here on campus.”
Featured image by Grace Goodacre
Edited by Lexie Little
