by Rachel Ayres | Staff Writer
This year marks the fifth anniversary of a day set aside for giving. Just last year, the fundraising event was named One Pine Day, alluding to the 1963 song, “One Fine Day,” made famous by the The Chiffons. Paralleling the success of the song, One Pine Day also set new records in fundraising.
In total, 742 donors gave $118,705.71 to Whitworth and the multiple projects highlighted by this year’s One Pine Day, according to the One Pine Day web page on whitworth.edu.
The annual fundraiser began at 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 20 and continued to 1 p.m. on Feb. 21, for a total of 1,890 minutes, in honor of the year Whitworth was founded.
“[One Pine Day is] 36 hours where we rally together to ask the Whitworth community to make a gift that will support students,” said Jessica Bussard, Whitworth Assistant Director of Annual Giving.
One Pine Day consisted in part with a fair in the HUB MPR. The fair, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Feb. 20, hosted tables from with department representatives from each of the multiple projects being crowdfunded on One Pine Day.
“Different departments or programs can start almost like little Kickstarter campaigns that people can donate to,” Anya Boehning, Annual Giving Specialist, said.
One Pine Day also coincided with another special event, Whitworth’s 129th anniversary. President Beck Taylor addressed the crowd gathered.
“[Today is the] annual, one day fundraising blitz that we call One Pine Day,” Taylor said.
He lead the group in a rendition of Happy Birthday before serving cake with other faculty members to attendees.
Projects being crowdfunded on One Pine Day included sewing machines for costume construction, the Summer Internship Scholarship Program, and the restoration of a Steinway grand piano.
Senior Bridget Fouquette was one of the department representatives for the Theater Department’s fundraising efforts for sewing machines.
“We have two working sewing machines that are shared between 13 and 15 students… They are from the ‘70s and are falling apart,” Fouquette said.
The theater department is hoping to raise $4,000 which will approximately cover the cost of 15 new sewing machines.
The Summer Internship Scholarship program is designed to help students afford an unpaid internship.
“Career Services is raising money […] for stipends for internships in which students aren’t otherwise paid, so that they can get that hands on job experience and not be totally strapped financially,” Boehning said.
Since this past fall, the music department started a project of funding the restoration of an old Steinway grand piano.
“We are hoping to rebuild Whitworth’s oldest Steinway, from the 1920s,” Michelle Hannaford, Music Program and Tours Coordinator, said.
“Piano players always want to practice in a a room with a Steinway. Another one would help that need for our growing department,” junior Sarah Fazendin said.
There was also an online aspect to one Pine Day. Emails went out to alumni and parents explaining the needs of the different projects, Bussard said.
“Part of giving back to Whitworth means showing students that you support them,” she said. “Support the students that will make a difference in the world in the future.”
Whitworth’s support from alumni, parents, and other donors is key to its health as a university.
“Throughout the decades, Whitworth has been dependent on its faithful donors,” Taylor said.
The crowdfunding projects were donated to from 37 of states in the U.S., representing the many supporters from all over who are vital in Whitworth’s health and growth.
“I almost picture alumni and parents as this army backing students a little bit,” Boehning said. “You don’t really notice or realize when you are here, but there really is a much larger community that surrounds Whitworth.”
While One Pine Day is officially over, many of the crowdfunding projects still need donors’ support.
To learn more about One Pine Day or make a donation, log on to Facebook and Instagram at Whitworth Gives and online at https://www.whitworth.edu/onepineday/.
The next One Pine Day event will be held next year Feb. 19-20, 2020.