Why Celebrate RU? Everything to Know About Wednesday’s Day of Giving

The Rockhurst University community includes more than 20,000 alumni, approximately 3,000 current students, and hundreds of faculty and staff members. In other words, hosting a big celebration means a lot of invites.

But this Wednesday’s occasion, the first-ever Celebrate RU, is one that warrants such an extensive guest list.

Celebrate RU is a 24-hour period of giving and a chance to recognize everything that makes Rockhurst University a special place. That includes the academic experience, the Jesuit mission, the student opportunities outside the classroom, and the generous community of donors who continue to make it all possible.

It’s also a challenge to the RU community to make an impact on future Hawks by helping raise $50,000 in one day to fund student scholarships and other vital parts of the RU experience.

Throughout Wednesday, there will be on-campus celebrations, special prizes, and a healthy dose of friendly competition for those who pledge gifts large and small. Best of all, anyone can take part no matter where they are. Celebrate RU invites donors to give through an online portal that will track total gifts throughout the day and tracks progress on a truly intriguing set of incentives for meeting certain giving goals — like the opportunity to see a pie thrown in the face of longtime campus ministry leader Bill Kriege, or to see a “Salvy Splash” delivered to University Director of Athletics Gary Burns.

There are also chances to maximize gifts through matching challenges. Gifts from St. Louis-area alumni, for example, will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $1,200, while young alumni, former student-athletes and RU parents all have matching challenges of their own. Those who give can then watch the progress throughout the day on the campaign page, which features a donor roll call, and on social media with the hashtag #CelebrateRU.

Though the matching challenges, the mid-day parties on the quad, and the chance to pie a beloved campus leader make for an exciting day, John Borders, ’10, ’13 MBA, said at the core of Celebrate RU is the idea that Rockhurst provides an experience for students that is unparalleled — it’s not just giving back as a thank you, it’s giving back as a way to provide that same experience to others.

“My time and experiences helped get me to where I am today and I am forever grateful,” he said. “This is why I am choosing to give to Celebrate RU, so future generations of Hawks can have the same positive experiences.”

Learn more about Celebrate RU, join in or track the day’s progress here.