Anonymous Gift Caps Off SOS Campaign

For Immediate Release

     An anonymous donor has contributed to the Eastern Washington University Foundation's "Save Our Scholarships" (SOS) Campaign with a $30,000 money order. The donation was received June 23, some two months after the SOS effort came to an end. It also pushes the total pool available for scholarships from the Foundation's Endowment to more than $200,000.

     The SOS rescue plan was launched in mid-April as a bold response to the financial crisis, which reduced earnings from the EWU Foundation Scholarship Endowment. This comes as Eastern faces an all-time high in applications from students seeking scholarship support.

     Student testimonials, the support of alumni, faculty and staff as well as an aggressive outreach plan that included national media coverage of the scholarship issue made the six-week SOS campaign a success. About 60 students benefited from the scholarship drive, but the generous gift from the anonymous donor will help up to 40 more students this upcoming school year.

     "Not only is this anonymous gift truly appreciated, but it speaks to the kindness that Eastern supporters have shown through the years," said Michael Westfall, executive director of the EWU Foundation and vice president for University Advancement. "Nearly 100 students will now be able to continue to pursue their higher education goals at EWU. My only regret is not being able to thank this generous donor personally for their kindness."

     Westfall emphasizes that scholarship gifts are always welcome. You can make a donation and learn more about ways to support Eastern at www.ewu.edu/supportewu.