Brutus and Cheer Team fans,
Put on your giving hats to help support the Happiness Unit of our favorite University!
The Cheer and Brutus Alumni Society has been handpicked by Ohio State’s First Lady, Veronica Meinhard, to be part of a Buckeye Funder Event. There is a donor willing to match 100% of the fundraising efforts. We are one of five university groups selected for this awesome distinction.
The goal is to raise $30,000 by January 16th, 2022. According to an email from Tim Thiel, Assistant Mascot Coach, “If you are in a position to give and promote, the society and our athletes will greatly appreciate your considering this effort.”
Tim suggests four ways we can support scholarship needs:
1
Go to the Buckeye Funder page. This gift supports scholarships for the Cheer Team and Brutus. A big plus is that your gift counts toward your giving history with Ohio State in addition to football ticket points.
To view the clever message explaining the giving levels, go to any one of the three social media platforms.
Facebook: https://fb.watch/9TP6cRxBCw/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CXTwwhQloH4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
YouTube: https://youtu.be/thD_c8Wun98
I especially loved the giving level of $65 for 1965, the year Ray Bourhis, the Pi Phis and I created Brutus with funding from Ohio Staters.
2
If you want to specifically support Brutus, consider the Brutus Buckeye Ambassador Endowed Fund established in 2013 by former OSU Professor Linda Meeks. Professor Meeks was honored at Brutus’s 50th Birthday Celebration for her foresight. She recently told me, “My passion for Brutus focused not only on the Brutii being passionate about cheering but also on the service leadership the program provides—visiting cancer patients, reading to inner city students, and being at weddings, funerals, birthdays.” She was aghast as I was to learn that prior to her scholarship, a Brutus athlete only received reimbursement for textbooks. Really? For all those hours of game and community service, no scholarship?
3
For those of you who have the wherewithal to donate at the upper levels of generosity, please check out the Scarlet & Gray Advantage ™ program. This is President Kristina M. Johnson’s newly announced–and very bold, very exciting—initiative to provide debt-free undergraduate education. Let me repeat that: debt-free undergraduate education. Not specifically for Brutus and Cheer Team, but oh so important for all people having equal access to higher education. The best part is that right now, individual gifts over $100,000 will be matched. Contact Kurt Foriska at foriska.1@osu.edu to learn how you can get involved.
If that gift amount is beyond your personal ability to support, Thiel suggests, “I encourage you to seek those in your network that may be fortunate to do so.” In other words, tell your friends—which leads to the Thiel’s final point.
4
Don’t just give, share the plea for scholarship donations with family, friends, and anyone willing to contribute.
Readers, I took Tim’s email seriously. I’m sharing. Now it’s your turn!!!
How Firm Thy Friendship,
Sally Lanyon
Photo Permissions: Sally Lanyon, OSU website.
