Posted 8:54 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
More than 2,600 gifts on One Day for UWL celebrate the campus culture of philanthropy
As a crowd gathered at the Eagle L sculpture Wednesday, Oct. 21, UWL Associate Dean Whitney George announced that this year’s One Day had set records for both the number of gifts and the total amount raised, with more than 2,600 gifts totaling $652,000 and counting.
Additional online and offline donations are still being counted, with final totals expected to be announced Nov. 20. The gifts support UWL departments, academic programs, athletics, student scholarships and more.
“I’m ecstatic,” says Allison Ziegelman, vice chancellor for University Advancement and president of the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation. “This shows the buy-in of people to what we do every day on campus — giving students an incredible experience and education. People are putting money into what they believe in.”
A campuswide effort
Lauren Wanders, UWL manager of strategic giving programs, highlighted the broad participation across campus in the day’s festivities and giving. More than 300 students voted for their favorite campus area to receive additional funding through UWLove, while the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities recorded the top donor and highest number of gifts. Campus programs, organizations, student ambassadors, Rec Sports teams and other individuals and groups all stepped up to help spread the word and contribute.
The wide participation helped UWL surpass this year’s 1909 Challenge, which called for 1,909 gifts to unlock a pool of $15,500. With more than 2,600 gifts, the campus community exceeded that goal.
"The growing number of faculty, staff, and students involved in One Day for UWL demonstrates the growing culture of philanthropy here on campus,” says Wanders. “It has been inspiring to see so many areas of campus take a level of ownership in this impactful event — it truly takes One Day to the next level. Overall, it speaks to the power of collaboration and signals that our campus community realizes philanthropy is an important part of moving UWL forward."
The spirit of giving extended beyond financial contributions. More than 100 UWL faculty and staff members registered for the Eagles @ Work event on the morning of One Day. The event recognizes employees who are UWL alumni, as well as employees who support the university through donations. Attendance doubled from the previous year, prompting organizers to move the event to a larger venue.
Giving takes many forms
During the gathering at the Eagle L, George reflected on how philanthropy, along with the time, energy and mentorship of others, helped make her own educational journey possible.
“I think that is what we embody here on our campus,” George says. “Whether it is time, energy, mentorship that we see every day in our hallways and classrooms or people who are able to give financial gifts, it all comes together to create what we do.”
She also highlighted Rossi, who stood beside her with a pompon in his mouth as she addressed the crowd and is a facility dog trained in more than 40 commands to assist individuals with disabilities. Rossi has participated in clinical classrooms where future occupational therapists, physical therapists, recreational therapists and other health professionals learn how to incorporate service dogs into therapy as part of a UWL program called Dr. Wags.
Bringing Rossi to campus was the first collaborative project of UWL’s Health Science Interprofessional Research Center (HSIRC). Run by faculty volunteers since 2023, the center supports and develops interprofessional applied research involving UWL students, faculty, community partners and scientists nationally and internationally.
The center was a first-time participant in One Day and far exceeded its goal of attracting 10 new donors. Preliminary results showed 53 gifts totaling more than $6,000, including a generous matching gift.
“As a first-time One Day participant, the generosity, enthusiasm, and sense of community is beyond what we could have imagined!” says Jennifer Taylor, associate professor of Recreation Management and Recreational Therapy and director of HSIRC.
The center plans to direct the support toward its growing programs, with a particular focus on expanding Dr. Wags with children in the community. The goal is to create a community-based program that allows more people to experience the meaningful connections and benefits Rossi brings to campus, Taylor says.
The response also reinforced the value of the center’s community-engaged learning programs and the possibilities for future work.
“It reminded us just how much these community engaged learning programs impact people and how exciting it is to think about what we can do next!” Taylor says. “We are incredibly thankful to everyone who donated, stopped by to visit Rossi, or simply shared a kind word about our work. It was also a great reminder of what a special place UWL is and what we can accomplish when our campus community comes together.”
One Day highlights
Preliminary results also highlighted the enthusiasm and generosity of students, alumni, faculty, staff and other supporters across campus.
- UWLove: More than 303 students voted for their favorite campus area to receive additional funding. An additional $1,500 was raised for UWL’s Competition Dance Team.
- Top student ambassador: Lauren Zarecki, a member of the Swimming & Diving team, raised an additional $1,600 for her team.
- College with the most gifts: The College of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities had the highest gift count and the top donor.
- Athletics: The Women’s Lacrosse team had the top donor and highest gift count among athletics teams, while the Women’s Gymnastics team raised the most funds.
- Recreational Sports: The Women’s Hockey Club was the top fundraising team.
Final One Day totals will be announced Nov. 20.
One Day for UWL 2026 is complete. Looking to still support UWL? Visit the UWL Alumni & Friends Foundation year-round giving page.
