On Tuesday, April 12 the university hosted its second annual GW Flag Day. Flag Day is a celebration of philanthropy on campus and a day during which current students are encouraged to express their thanks and appreciation to GW’s generous community of donors – especially alumni. Anna Mahalak, PAF program coordinator, and a number of current PAFs contributed to Flag Day in both its planning and execution stages.
12,000 alumni have given to some area of the university so far this fiscal year. Such a notable achievement triggered a $100,000 gift to the university’s Power & Promise Fund from Elliott School alumnus Michael Hope, ESIA B.A. ’79. As PAFs, we are proud to say that we contributed to this number by achieving 100% giving to the university earlier this year. We are even prouder to say that the PAF alumni base has consistently showed its philanthropic support to the GW community at rates well above alumni averages.
The GW student community – numbering more than 500 - also gave on Flag Day at a level that unlocked another challenge gift of $12,000 from a number of parent donors. The generous gift will go towards community building initiatives coordinated by the Division of Student Affairs. Flag Day is a great reminder of the value of staying involved in philanthropy at GW, and we hope to see it become a more well-known and anticipated tradition.