On Thurs., Nov. 3, Concordia hosted the 7th annual CU Give Back, an online event that is designed to engage the community and support clubs, departments, athletics and more. 

Annual Giving Coordinator Sofia Saldana said, “For our community, CU Give Back means being able to contribute to the lives of our students in whatever way possible. It means coming together as a Concordia family to support Golden Eagles, no matter how big or small of a gift that might be. There is truly no gift that is too small and CU Give Back is such a huge representation of that!”

Over 50 organizations were looking to make a difference, including the baseball team, who raised over $16 thousand with more than 80 donations. Over $17 thousand was raised for athletics to go toward the new Golden Eagles Athletic Complex, a building that will contain a brand new weight room as well as locker rooms for the outdoor programs. Women’s water polo raised more than $8 thousand, which was more than a thousand dollars over their goal.

New women’s water polo head coach Casey Greenawalt said, “We are extremely grateful that so many donated to our program. With the money raised, we are able to purchase the caps and robes that will portray the team unity that we are instilling within our program. We look forward to creating history within the CUI Golden Eagle water polo program.” Greenawalt also expressed how amazed he was to pull together a community in such a short amount of time. 

Another great opportunity for Give back donors was the DCE/Pre-Sem Mexico Project. The DCE is planning to head down to Mexico to help the less fortunate. Senior Casey Schweim said “It truly means the world. We are going to build houses for those in need in Tijuana. Every donation truly means a lot to us as we will use the money for those in need!” The donations will go directly towards building the houses, as students cover their own lodging, travel and food. 

Concordia’s Board of Trustees made the generous pledge to match $250 for everyone who raised $250 or had 20 donors. Another huge opportunity is the Concordia Fund, which raised almost $30 thousand during the event. The Keithly family matched the first $5 thousand donated to this fund, and the money goes directly into the school for anything from books to lab equipment. 

The Music Department had a huge win as well with $19 thousand, with an anonymous donor putting in an extra $7,500 because over 40 people donated to the cause. Women’s basketball, softball and men’s volleyball also received significant donations that will go toward equipment and the new softball field currently under construction. Another $14,400 went to student scholarships. 

Over $200 thousand was raised to help the Concordia community, with 668 donors at press time.

Saldana said, “The best way to continue helping our students is by giving back in whatever way you can. Whether that be making a donation to student scholarships or contributing your time to Concordia in some way, you can make a difference! You can always give a gift online at cui.edu/giving at any time to continue supporting our students financially.” 

Thank you again to all the generous donors!

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