Grand Valley State University’s Future Alumni Association is putting on the third annual GVS(You) Week from Feb. 16 to Feb. 20, with the goal to show gratitude to GVSU donors by writing thank you cards and scheduling events for donor support.

The scheduled events seek to inform GVSU students about how donors affect the campus and the students’ college experience while offering a chance for students to express their appreciation.

“Donors are a big part of the university, without them (GVSU) would be a lot different,” said Julie Jamison, Future Alumni Association president. “In the long run, it affects the students having a successful time at Grand Valley and makes our school better and nicer.”

One part of GVS(You) Week is the “T. Haas Challenge,” which involves any student gifting $10 or more to funds like the Student Legacy Scholarship. President Thomas Haas will triple the donation in order to help future GVSU students.

The “T. Haas Challenge” is a way for students to begin to live up to the expectation of being a Laker for a Lifetime and to give back to GVSU, Jamison said.

“We want to keep the slogan of ‘Laker for a Lifetime,’ so we want students to continue to show Laker pride when they graduate and hopefully give back and get involved,” Jamison said.

On Feb. 16, the Future Alumni Association will host a Twitter contest to promote GVS(You) week. Individuals can follow @FAA_GVSU to keep up-to-date with the images they have to retweet in order to win the prizes, which will begin on Feb. 19.

The next portion of the week involves multiple days of thank you note writing. The Future Alumni Association hopes to achieve its goal of writing 300 thank you notes this year, an increase from the 200 notes that were completed last year.

The thank you notes are written to alumni donors who give less than $50 annually to GVSU and help improve the university and its campus.

“It’s not just about supporting alumni this year,” said Liz Collver, coordinator of student philanthropy and adviser for the Future Alumni Association. “Faculty and staff will get a little button to wear all week, and student donors will have their names scrolling on the televisions in Kirkhof.”

To end the week, a Spirit Day will occur on Feb. 20. Members of the Future Alumni Association will hand out prizes to students on campus who are wearing GVSU apparel and showing their Laker pride.

“Everyone at Grand Valley is touched by what people choose to invest back into the university,” Collver said. “It’s been a tradition for Grand Valley for years to give back – that was actually how the university was started, through the Buck a Brick campaign.”

The Future Alumni Association continues to help students network with recent alumni, which may help them in the future, Jamison said.

“Our main goal is to connect current students with alumni,” Jamison said. “We want to provide as many networking opportunities as possible, which can help students later when they graduate to maybe get a job or learn new skills.”

The Future Alumni Association often works with the Young Alumni Council, a chapter of the GVSU Alumni Association geared toward recent alumni, and informs students on how the GVSU Alumni Association could benefit them after graduation.

Students will have the opportunity to write thank you letters on the following dates: Feb. 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center in Allendale, Feb. 18 from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in DeVos C Atrium on the Pew Campus, Feb. 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Henry Hall in Allendale and from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences on the Pew Campus.

For more information, visit
www.gvsu.edu/faa. For more information about the “T. Haas Challenge,” visit www.gvsu.edu/giving/student-t-haas-challenge-402.htm

[email protected]