by Bailey Rankin, Student Reporter
1,750 cards + 747 phone calls = 2,497 “Thanks you” messages.
That is the projected number of Northwestern Oklahoma State University donors who will be thanked at the ninth annual Thank-a-Thon, which will take place Nov. 4 and 5 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Northwestern Alumni Association puts on the Thank-a-Thon event each year. It’s a way for students to express their appreciation to the people who provide funding to the university. Students will write “Thank you” cards and make phone calls to donors, personally thanking them for their generosity, according to the event’s organizers.
Foundation and Alumni Association Relationship Manager Rachel Kraus said that the organization holds the event each year to “put a face with” the money that donors give.
“They (the donors) love getting to meet students, and love getting to hear from them,” Kraus said. “Any kind of contact that they get, they just eat it up. They love seeing that their money and efforts are going to good use.”
According to Kraus, 83% of all students at Northwestern receive at least one scholarship, so the organization encourages all students to participate and give back to the donors. “No one is exempt from their duty to say ‘Thank you,’” Kraus said.
The first Thank-a-Thon was held in 2011. That year, 75 students participated. Over the last few years, that number has grown to more than 200 students, but Kraus is hoping for an even higher number this year. She’s aiming for 300 participants.
“The more students, the better,” she said. “If we have to order more t-shirts, that’s great. If we have to order more pizza, that’s great, too.”
Kraus, who participated in the Thank-a-Thon during her senior year at Northwestern, believes the event is important to students and donors alike.
“I think students seeing a name, sitting down and thinking about the impact that scholarships and donations make on their lives … it makes a profound impact,” she said. “You see kind of a shift in their demeanor. … The students are extremely grateful. They know that they wouldn’t be here without the generosity of others.”