Student-Athletes Participate In Inaugural Thank-A-Thon
April 23, 2013
CORVALLIS, Ore. - If you're a donor to Our Beaver Nation and happened to answer your telephone this past weekend, there's a good chance you heard a heartfelt "Thank You" from an Oregon State student-athlete.
More than 2,000 donors to Our Beaver Nation were personally thanked on the telephone by one of 35 Oregon State student-athletes who participated in the inaugural event that was held at the OSU Foundation in Corvallis Friday and Sunday evenings.
"This is something that we have always talked about doing because, truthfully, all of these donors are giving in support of the student-athletes," said Shawn Heilbron, Oregon State's Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development. "So to have the student-athletes be the ones to say thank you is something that we felt was very important. This was the right time with the new launch of Our Beaver Nation to do the Thank-A-Thon.
"One thing that we hear a lot about is the student-athletes, while they are in school, don't really know about how their scholarships are funded or who pays for meals and all of the academic support and the things that allow them to enjoy their college experience. So for them to have an understanding, not just of who is helping to support, but how it is supported is really important for them to get that experience."
The student-athletes were unaware going in how the process would work and what the reception would be, but they all agreed it was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
"It was a great response from people," said Angus Brandt, a senior on the Oregon State men's basketball team. "They said it's great to get a call from the student-athletes to thank them personally rather than having someone in the department who they might not recognize. They said it's a nice personal touch that it's coming from the athletes who benefit from their donations. I thank them all for everything they do for us."
"I thought it was actually a really awesome opportunity for student-athletes," said Megan Miller, who played for the Oregon State women's soccer team for four years. "Most of us are on scholarship so it was awesome to be able to say thank you back to people who directly fund the program. Our Beaver Nation did a really good job organizing it. They made it really easy for us and it was just an awesome experience."
The inaugural Thank-A-Thon was such a success that Heilbron wants to make it an annual tradition for Oregon State student-athletes.
"We would love to do this annually and grow it as we grow our donor base for Our Beaver Nation," he said. "We will continue to grow the Student-Athlete Thank-A-Thon and really involve the student-athletes more in the entire donor experience moving forward."
Student-athletes who joined Brandt and Miller include: Langston Morris-Walker from men's basketball; Ruth Hamblin and Khadidja Toure from women's basketball; Stephanie McGregor, Cerise Witherby, Erika Aufiero, Nicole Turner, Jaime Wright, Hannah Casey, Kailie Ponto and Sarah Cerami from gymnastics; Morgan Kennedy, Brandi Dawson, Natalie Meiggs, Brittney Oljar and Jenna Richardson from women's soccer; Daniel Van Vleet, Josh Smith and Eric Johanson from men's soccer; David Fink and Nick Sherwood from men's golf; Rita Hepler and Amanda Jones from women's rowing; Anthony Harris from wrestling; Sammy Harrison and Amani Amr from swimming; and Mary Claire Brenner from track and field.
Former women's soccer standout Lindsay Meiggs, who is serving as an athletic development intern with Our Beaver Nation, helped coordinate the event. Food was donated for the student-athletes by Qdoba and University Hero.
All gifts to Oregon State Athletics, including Our Beaver Nation, are considered gifts to the OSU Foundation and will be credited as such. Dollars credited toward Our Beaver Nation are those contributed directly to support student-athlete scholarships for all 17 varsity sports.
For more information on how to support Oregon State student-athletes through Our Beaver Nation, follow this link or call 541-737-2370.
