91�����

Thanks to the generosity of many, 91����� Aquinas College�s recently concluded Friends Week of Giving generated more than $2 million for student financial aid � a $1 million increase from last year and more than double the initial goal!

The Week, which coincides with the end of the College�s fiscal year, is the last and most extensive of TAC�s three major annual fundraising efforts, preceded by the Alumni Day of Giving in March and the Parent Day of Giving in May. Whereas for those two initiatives the College relies on the help of those who know it �from within,� the Friends Week of Giving depends entirely on benefactors who know and respect the College through its reputation and influence in the wider culture.

This year, those friends� commitment was tremendous.

Much of the credit belongs to College Governor Berni Neal and her husband, Rob, who got the ball rolling with a pledge to match the first $500,000 in gifts. The Neals� bold example inspired many others to give sacrificially, and the Week eclipsed its initial, $1 million goal within 72 hours.

�Emboldened by this outpouring of support, we decided to push our luck and double the goal from $1 million to $2 million,� says President Paul J. O�Reilly. �Five of Mrs. Neal�s fellow members of the Board of Governors led the way with a second $500,000 matching gift, and our friends rose to the challenge yet again, aided by a group of alumni and parents who stepped in at the last minute to nudge us over the finish line.�

In total, benefactors contributed $2,030,333 to this year�s Friends Week of Giving � up from $1,021,392 last year and a tenfold increase from the first Week of Giving in 2018, which yielded $184,399.

�We thank God for blessing 91����� Aquinas College with so many loyal friends who are deeply committed to the College�s mission of Catholic liberal education,� says Dr. O�Reilly. �And we thank each of you who contributed and whose generosity allows this mission to flourish, now on two coasts.�