By Rosalyn Aquila

In an effort to recognize and thank alumni for donating money and supporting Kenyon, the campus is celebrating the third annual Kenyon Fund Day today.

The Office of Annual Giving encourages students to stop by the Peirce atrium during lunch or dinner to write a thank-you post card to alumni who have donated to the fund. Each student who participates will also receive an entry into a raffle to win Kenyon gear.

Kenyon Fund Day is really a time to celebrate all of the willingness of our parents and our alumni to give and to support our experience here and to support Kenyon, said Alexandra Klein 12, a member of the Alumni Leaders of Tomorrow program.

The Kenyon Fund, founded in 1942, supports the Colleges annual budget through unrestricted gifts. In the past year, the Kenyon Fund raised more than $3.4 million, with more than 5,700 alumni donating. The money provides resources for students and professors, from classroom equipment and scholarships to funding for student organizations. Without the Kenyon Fund, without alums who are so generous, we wouldnt have this experience and we wouldnt have many things we have here at Kenyon, Klein said.

Besides the obvious monetary benefits, the Kenyon Fund also demonstrates alumni dedication. Alumni participation means more to Kenyon than just the number of gifts received. It is a benchmark of alumni satisfaction with the education they received and a source of institutional pride, said Director of Annual Giving Shawn Dailey.

Alumni donations are especially important because participation rates are often factored into grant-issuing criteria and U.S. News and World Report rankings, according to Klein. In fact, the Young Alumni Challenge, a competition between recent graduates and the current senior class, specifically focuses on class participation. The winning class will support an incoming first year with a $50,000 scholarship in its name. It doesnt seem unreasonable, in our minds, to say, give 50 cents, give a dollar, or give whatever you can so that [the Class of 2012] can have the most participation and have this honor of letting another student have the experience of Kenyon, Klein said. Its really all about engaging and actual participating.

Seniors can give to the Kenyon Fund online at http://gift.kenyon.edu or in the College Relations Center anytime before June 30.

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