University News

Western Challenge/Purple & Gold Day April 24

April 16, 2019

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MACOMB/MOLINE IL -- Break out the purple and gold (and the green and plastic!) on April 24 as Western Illinois University goes into full Purple & Gold Day AND Western Challenge mode.

The Western Challenge

Held each year on Purple & Gold Day, the Western Challenge is a 24-hour online giving campaign aimed at creating additional opportunities for Western students through donations from alumni, faculty, staff and friends.

"Everyone has a favorite cause or area of campus that is meaningful to them," said Tim Hallinan, director of Annual Giving with the WIU Foundation and a 1995 WIU alumnus. "The Western Challenge is a great opportunity to support those areas and make a transformative impact on our University."

Donors have the opportunity to choose exactly where their gift goes. They can give to specific scholarship funds, departments, athletics programs, campus improvements and other areas at either the Macomb or Quad Cities campus.

According to Hallinan, during this year's Western Challenge, more than $55,000 in matching and challenge dollars have been pledged by a group of alumni, which means a gift may be doubled, or in some cases tripled.

"We are especially excited to offer the opportunity for donors to maximize their impact though matching gifts," he said. "Endowing a scholarship, boosting support to our student-athletes, creating travel and research opportunities for our students and faculty, and supporting our mascot and other programs are just a few examples of what can be achieved this year with the participation from our friends and alumni.
"It's not necessarily about giving 'to' Western," Hallinan added. "It's about giving 'through' Western. When we make our Western Challenge gift on Wednesday, April 24, we are directly supporting our amazing students, our dedicated faculty and our outstanding programs by creating opportunities that simply would not exist without those who participate in the challenge."

Last year's Western Challenge raised $153,679, which set a record for individual giving to the University within a 24-hour period.

"When you make a gift during the Western Challenge, you're joining Leathernecks from across the country and around the world in supporting what you love about Western. When we combine our support and maximize our impact, it can make a world of difference," Hallinan said.

For updates and participation, follow the Western Challenge on Facebook.

Purple & Gold Day
WIU alumni and friends are invited to join the WIU Alumni Association for the 2019 Purple & Gold Day celebrations in Macomb and the Quad Cities.

From 7:30-9 a.m. April 24, WIU alumni are invited to attend a continental breakfast at the Alumni House, which is also part of a Macomb Chamber of Commerce Before Hours celebration with WIU. From 5-7 p.m. April 24, alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends are invited to attend the Macomb Purple & Gold Day at the Sports Corner in downtown Macomb, while Moline-area alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends are invited to attend the Quad Cities Purple & Gold Day at The Barrel House in Moline.

The tradition of celebrating Purple & Gold Day at Western began April 24, 2000, with the close of the University's 100-year celebration. The date in 2000 marked the 100-year anniversary of the day in 1899 when the Illinois Legislature approved the creation of what would become WIU.

Events at each location will include an evening social with complimentary food and a cash bar. For details about each event location, visit wiu.edu/alumni/purplegoldday.php. RSVP to a Purple & Gold Day Event near you by calling (309) 298-1914 or emailing A-Association@wiu.edu.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
Office of University Communications & Marketing