May. 11, 2017
Central Washington University Comes Together to Make Giving Central
Central Washington University’s first-ever, 24-hour giving campaign, #GiveCentral, resulted in more than 650 donors who helped to raise $650,000 for the betterment of the university.
The goal of this campaign, held on April 27-28, was to celebrate and share Wildcat pride across the country, in solidarity and philanthropic support for student scholarships and other program enhancements benefiting Central students.
Heading the effort was a group of prominent alumni and friends of the university. Amy Hanson, Andrew Mork, Tom and Wendy Dingus, Ben and Nancy Remak, and CWU President Jim Gaudino and his wife Katie collectively agreed to unlock $125,000 in scholarship and program support. The unlock challenge was meant to encourage 500 donors to participate in the #GiveCentral campaign.
“We’d like to thank these individuals for their tremendous support and investment in the lives of our students,” said Scott Wade, vice president for university advancement. “We invite other members of the Wildcat family to join them in donating any amount of money to the scholarship or program of their choice. Every gift counts and allows CWU to continue to offer the best educational experience in the West.”
Amy Hanson, a 1990 CWU grad and now CEO of Hanson Consulting Group, credits Central with providing her with the foundation she needed to start her business career. Hanson is now a CWU Foundation Board Member, and her business was named in the top 50 women-owned businesses in Washington State for 2017 by the Puget Sound Business Journal–for the third year in a row. Hanson’s gift is $50,000 and will be used toward student scholarships.
Andrew Mork, a member of the class of 2011, now works as a Financial Advisor at UBS Financial Services in Portland, OR. Mork has given a gift of $25,000 that will go to the Alumni Association, Wildcat Football, and the Personal Financial Planning program. Mork credits the education he received from CWU as the sole reason he has been successful at a young age.
Tom and Wendy Dingus both studied accounting at CWU. Tom graduated in 1986 and Wendy in 1990. In 2003, Tom co-founded the firm Dingus, Zarecor & Associates, where he is now the sole owner. The two have given a gift of $25,000 for this event, to be used to support an endowed accounting scholarship for first generation students.
Ben Remak, a 1979 Law and Justice graduate, and his wife Nancy have given a $10,000 gift for #GiveCentral to be used for scholarships pertaining to Law and Justice students. He is a current advisory board member to the law and justice department, and he and Nancy are Lifetime Alumni Association Members.
Central Washington University President Jim Gaudino and his wife Katie have given a gift of $15,000 that will be added to existing endowed scholarships.