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As a global day of generosity held annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Giving Tuesday brings gifts to educational institutions and other nonprofits worldwide. Lenoir-Rhyne received those gifts from 425 alumni, family and friends this year, collectively raising $289,538 to support current and future students.

Gifts to the Fund for Lenoir-Rhyne, the university’s annual fund, provide current-use support that benefits all students. LR donors supported all facets of the LR experience, ranging from scholarships and academic departments to athletic teams, the arts, campus life, student support services and more. 

The 2023 total set a new record for Giving Tuesday donations at LR, almost tripling the amount donated in 2022. For the first time, donors this year could also designate their funds to directly support student internships, and $620 was earmarked as such.

To express the university’s ongoing gratitude, Giving Tuesday coincides with Bears Say Thanks Week — a week of events organized by the stewardship and donor engagement office that shows students how essential donors are to making the LR experience exceptional for them and to thank those donors directly.

This year’s activities and events began Monday with a chance for students to guess the number of gummy bears in a jar, which represented the number of alumni who made a gift to the university in the last fiscal year. Football offensive lineman Dylan Foster ’25 guessed correctly — 1,544. 

On Tuesday, students were treated to a hot cocoa bar, a conversation about the value of philanthropy and LR trivia. On Friday, students could “Thank a Bear” by writing and sending a thank-you card to their favorite Bears on campus while enjoying cake with Harry Titus, Ed.D., dean of students.

Friends and alumni of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary also came together with support for the seminary’s annual fund, the New Life Fund, as well as several student scholarships by donating $24,145 of the day’s total. These gifts will directly support seminarians enrolled on the Columbia, South Carolina campus and in the hybrid program.

"On behalf of everyone at Lenoir-Rhyne, I want to express our deepest gratitude to our incredible donors for making this Giving Tuesday truly exceptional,” said Cat Serrin Niekro, vice president of institutional advancement. “Your record-breaking support is a testament to your unwavering belief in LR’s mission and the impact we make together.”