Wear Black, Give Back: UNO Giving Day returns Nov. 8-9
University of Nebraska at Omaha senior Savannah Boedigheimer has met students from across campus as president of the student organization Ready, Set, (Duran)Go!.
The club, which she helped start in 2022, promotes safety and emergency preparedness through events and volunteer opportunities and gives students an opportunity to network. In February, the group hosted a Valentine’s Day event, where students learned about dating safety, made Valentine’s Day cards for seniors and played games.
“It’s a way for people to give back to their community in a fun way,” said Boedigheimer of Marshall, Minnesota, who is majoring in library science with a minor in emergency management.
Boedigheimer will raise funds for Ready, Set, (Duran)Go! as part of Wear Black, Give Back Nov. 8-9, 2023.
UNO’s fourth annual giving day brings together Maverick supporters to provide needed resources for student scholarships, UNO’s colleges and programs, Omaha Athletics, the Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library, the Maverick Food Pantry and other priorities. More than 50 student organizations and clubs are registered to participate in Wear Black, Give Back.
“Through the first three years of hosting Wear Black Give Back, our Maverick community has consistently shown remarkable support for our students by giving to fund scholarships, colleges, programs, student organizations and so much more,” UNO Chancellor Joanne Li, Ph.D., CFA, said. “I can’t wait to see how our community once again seizes this opportunity for Mavericks to help Mavericks and be part of the future success of UNO.”
This year, UNO has a goal to receive 4,000 gifts during the 24-hour day of giving, which begins at noon Nov. 8 and concludes at noon Nov. 9. Last year’s Wear Black, Give Back set a record with 3,794 gifts made over 24 hours, totaling more than $553,000.
Every donor who makes gifts totaling $65 or more will receive a bonus UNO blanket. Participants are encouraged to wear their UNO apparel with pride and share on social media why they give back, using #WearBlackGiveBack. People can learn more about Wear Black, Give Back and participate at givingday.unomaha.edu.
Alumni and donors have pledged more than $440,000 in challenge and matching funds to encourage others to give during the event. These gifts will only be unlocked if certain giving goals are achieved.
The largest challenge will support the Transforming, Renewing, Achieving and Connecting (TRAC) Prison Education Project. If 50 people make gifts of $5 or more to TRAC, Stephanie Scott, an Omaha native who now lives in Colorado, will give $100,000 to support the UNO program. Through TRAC, which is donor funded, UNO offers for-credit general education classes for incarcerated individuals at the Omaha Correctional Center. Twenty classes were offered between fall 2017 and spring 2022, serving 226 students. Workforce development and access to quality education are central to UNO’s mission. Prison education has been shown to reduce recidivism rates and improve the lives of previously incarcerated persons and their families.
Two events Nov. 8 will kick off Wear Black, Give Back:
- A livestream will be at 11:30 a.m. in the UNO TV studio, hosted by UNO broadcasting students. The livestream can be viewed on the Wear Black Give Back website.
- The Wear Black, Give Back festival will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. around the Henningson Memorial Campanile with a food truck, games, a live DJ, Durango and participating student organizations.
About the University of Nebraska Foundation
The University of Nebraska Foundation grows relationships and resources that enable the University of Nebraska to change lives and save lives. During the most recent fiscal year, 58,072 donors supported the University of Nebraska, and a record $354.5 million in new funds was committed to aid UNK, UNL, UNO, NCTA and UNMC and its clinical partner, Nebraska Medicine. The foundation raises more than $7 for every $1 spent. Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future is its current campaign with a goal to raise $3 billion from 150,000 unique benefactors to support the University of Nebraska. More information is at OnlyinNebraska.org.
