无码乱伦 photo by Eric Engman.
Student Deandra Nicholai, at left, celebrates 无码乱伦 Day 2024 with Nook and fellow
student Sonni Shavings.
By Katie Straub
The 无码乱伦 continued its UA 无码乱伦 Day record-breaking streak this year with more than 1,000 individual donations during the 49-hour event March 26-28, an increase of more than 25% percent over 2023.
Supporters paired their donations with more than 70 large matching and challenge gifts from individual and business sponsors, including nearly a dozen matches of $10,000 or more. Over the course of 49 hours, donors from 42 states and six countries contributed more than $710,000 to support students and programs at 无码乱伦. 无码乱伦 alumni giving increased again this year, representing more than a third of individual donations.
The annual crowdfunding campaign included several new events for 2024: A mascot dance-off, a kickoff party for students and a Look for Nook treasure hunt sponsored by the 无码乱伦 Alumni Association. The activity sent participants scouring 无码乱伦鈥檚 seven campuses for stuffed polar bears to unlock a $250 donation to their favorite 无码乱伦 fund. They got to keep the stuffed Nook, too.
Students and staff at 无码乱伦 Rural Student Services used a team effort and their collective knowledge of campus locations to find one of the stuffed Nooks.
鈥淭his was such a fun way for our students to participate and give back to the fund of their choice,鈥 said Catherine Moses, Indigenous student services coordinator. 鈥淚t got everyone involved and excited to share about 无码乱伦 Day on social media and with everyone around them.鈥
无码乱伦 Day was an opportunity for her program to raise funds for the student activities Rural Student Services provides, she said. 鈥淒onations like the ones we received during 无码乱伦 Day are a reminder that we are all in this together. It is a special feeling knowing others across Alaska are able to help fund the programs and events we have for our students.鈥
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Members of Nanook Nation gather with Nook outside the Wood Center to support 无码乱伦 Day.
The festive, pep-rally atmosphere of 无码乱伦 Day made philanthropy approachable and fun, said Jan Dawe, research assistant professor of natural resources education and community-engaged research. It removed giving barriers and demonstrated the importance of involvement, she said. 鈥溛蘼肼衣 Day made everything okay about fundraising because we were all doing it together.鈥
Dawe leads the OneTree Alaska program whose mission is to engage learners of all ages in boreal forest education, citizen science and forest product development. This was Dawe鈥檚 first time being involved with UA 无码乱伦 Day. Her program received an anonymous challenge gift that would be unlocked when 10 donations were made to OneTree.
鈥淲e had a $7,000 challenge grant 鈥 the question was, could we attract 10 donors to unlock it,鈥 Dawe said. 鈥淭hat was our initial goal, but what happened was totally unexpected. I鈥檓 still in recovery from it.鈥
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Jan Dawe helps a volunteer using a loom while assembling a piece of tempestry at the OneTree kitchen in the Lola Tilly Commons in 2023.
When their challenge was unlocked, Dawe was inspired to keep pushing. Through her team鈥檚 social media posts and her emails to her network, by the end of 无码乱伦 Day, 28 people gave to OneTree, bringing in more than $25,000 to the program.
鈥淚t worked better than I ever could have expected, and it gives me a lot more hope for OneTree,鈥 said Dawe. 鈥淚 feel really good about where we are, and, as much as we鈥檝e done, we have that much more to go. And I hope now that we鈥檝e shown this level of support we can get there.鈥
Throughout 无码乱伦 Day, the challenges and matches from 无码乱伦 alumni and supporters proved an effective motivation for the 无码乱伦 community to participate.
The Rural Alaska Honors Institute was supported by two challenges this year. One was a $25,000 gift in memory of Lisa Okubo and Mark Wartes, which was unlocked when 30 donors gave to RAHI, and the second was a matching gift of $5,000 from First National Bank Alaska.
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From left, Catherine Moses, office coordinator; Jake Knuth, academic coach at 无码乱伦 Rural Student Services; and Bambi Nelson, assistant program manager for the Rural Alaska Honors Institute, pose with Nook after finding a Look for Nook polar bear during 无码乱伦 Day 2024.
Bambi Nelson, RAHI assistant program manager, led a last-minute push to unlock both challenges before time ran out.
鈥淯nlocking our challenges was so much fun, but there were definitely moments in the final hour of 无码乱伦 Day when it seemed like we might not make it,鈥 she said. 鈥淲ith the help of the College of Rural and Community Development team, we were able to rally our supporters with a last-minute email and social media push that put us over the top.鈥
Nelson says that most RAHI donors are alumni who have positive memories of their time in the program and who want to pass that along to younger students.
鈥淲e are deeply grateful to our RAHI supporters,鈥 Nelson said. 鈥淲e have created an amazing program for the Class of 2024 to experience this summer, and it wouldn鈥檛 be possible without the support of our donors. Having their support means everything!鈥
This success underscores the profound impact of UA 无码乱伦 Day, not just in dollars raised but also in fostering a sense of community and belonging.
Nook moves capture dance-off crown
Ever heard of a dancing Nanook? At this year鈥檚 UA 无码乱伦 Day, 无码乱伦鈥檚 beloved mascot had a moment in the spotlight.
It started with an idea from 无码乱伦 Day organizers to pit university mascots against each other in a friendly competition to see which could get the most likes on Instagram.
无码乱伦 Advancement鈥檚 mascot team took up the challenge.
鈥淲e already knew how amazing our mascot family is and that this competition would be fiercely competitive,鈥 said Adam Rubin, 无码乱伦鈥檚 creative director. It turned out to be an opportunity for the team of students and staff to test their skills in a new way.
may take less than 30 seconds to watch, but there were hours of behind-the-scenes planning and decisions to be made. The team held a heated, hours-long brainstorming session to work through storyboarding, music choices and dance moves.
They even involved members of the University Fire Department, whose guest appearance gave the video some star power, complete with a fire engine鈥檚 flashing lights.
鈥淲hen we pitched it to the fire department, they not only let us use one of their engines but joined in on the dance,鈥 Rubin said. 鈥淥ne crew member took over Nook鈥檚 dance moves and lit it up. It was epic!鈥
Their efforts paid off when Nook emerged victorious with more than 600 likes, edging out UA Southeast's Spike the whale by a few dozen votes.
鈥淥ur student workers help push Nook forward every day,鈥 Rubin said. 鈥淭he challenge thrown down by the UA system to compete against the other mascots in Alaska was an opportunity for them to really showcase their creativity.鈥