By NICK VILLALOBOS, Editor in Chief
The annual donor appreciation dinner will begin at 6 p.m. tonight in the Student Center Ballroom, and Hailey Clark said it is just one way the university shows it’s gratitude to those helping the students.
For Clark, Foundation Office and Alumni Association officer manager, this year’s donor appreciation dinner will be her first. She said of the nearly 1500 donors that the foundation has had this past year, anywhere from 80-100 should be attending the dinner.
“We usually don’t get an exact number of attending until right when the event starts,” Clark said.
The night will feature several speakers, two of whom is Stefan Simpson, a pre-law major and May 2016 Northwestern graduate, and Scott Christopher, author and co-author of several best-selling business books and recipient of the Irene Ryan Scholarship, USA’s highest collegiate acting honor.
While at Northwestern, Simpson received several academic scholarships including the Jay Linder, the Shafer Family and social science department scholarships. Simpson also received an athletic scholarship for football.
Simpson said in the Northwestern Foundation and Alumni Association’s annual report, he would not be where he is today without the investments of generous donors.
Christopher, on the other hand, is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned a bachelor’s in communications. He also earned a master’s in human resources from the University of Connecticut.
Christopher has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Fox Business Channel and CNBC to just name a few.
Since 1995, Christopher has circled the globe entertaining and motivating thousands of audiences from senior leader retreats to all-staff meetings with unforgettable messages and off-the-cuff humor.
In addition, the evening will also feature a speaking part from Allen “Skeeter” Bird, Northwestern Foundation’s chief executive officer and a student musician, Ko Brooks.
“We as a university want to get all the donors in one place, treat them to a nice meal and entertainment, and let them know how much we appreciate what they do,” Clark said.