Dear alumni and friends,
As we reflect on the last academic year, it is easy to focus on the world-altering events that have taken place since March. While college travel and live alumni events have halted for everyone’s health and well-being, I wanted to share a few inspiring things that happened prior to the pandemic.
In October, we welcomed you back to campus for our Alumni BBQ, which placed a special focus on the fifth year of the Crisafi Challenge. Once again, this challenge was overwhelmingly successful. The total impact was nearly $140,000, including gifts from you, our alumni and friends, and Dr. Bob’s $50,000 match gift. Every dollar raised directly supports our incoming first-year students with high-impact scholarships awarded upon admission. We award as many scholarships as possible to recruit the best and brightest incoming students. Thus, each year, we deplete the fund and start from zero. Through the years, our Crisafi Scholars have excelled in their coursework, elevated to student organization leadership positions, and most recently, a scholar represented the graduating class as one of our two valedictorians.
In February, we participated in the University of Florida’s second annual Gator Nation Giving Day: Stand Up & Holler. Our long-time, devoted supporters, Carl and Joan Allison, led the fundraiser in a big way by creating a $25,000 matching challenge gift. Alumni and friends stood up by making gifts of many sizes within 24 hours. More than $180,000 was raised, including the match, to support Pharm.D. scholarships, graduate education and research and our white coat professionalism fund.
The COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest of our country and world has impacted us all personally and professionally. The college’s philanthropic impact was not spared from these trying times. While we look ahead to what we believe will be a brighter end to 2020, it is our hope that you can continue to support our faculty and students at a level that’s comfortable to you, through one of our upcoming fundraising challenges.
We are thinking of you all and miss seeing you. We wish you and your loved ones good health in the months to come.
Respectfully,
Elizabeth Zipper
Senior Director of Development & Alumni Affairs
