Hundreds of students wrote a total of 1,563 thank-you notes this week to donors who support Elon University.
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They thanked donors for the scholarships and the athletics facilities. They thanked donors for the speaker series and the research support that keeps their professors on the leading edge of their disciplines.
And they thanked donors large and small, those whose names are on buildings and those who give a few dollars every month out of their own Elon paychecks.
In the end, students, faculty and staff who took part in the 3rd annual “A Thousand Thanks” campaign this week expressed gratitude in 1,563 handwritten notes that will be sent to donors in the coming days, a number that surpassed the previous record of 1,247 set last year.
Cards were collected at College Coffee on Oct. 30 as well as at tables in the Moseley Center over the following days staffed by volunteers from various campus groups.
“The student organizations that helped us in Moseley were really great. A lot of volunteers were calling out to friends to write notes,” said Kelly Smith, a junior who co-coordinated the program with junior Carolina O’Brien. “That connection they made with friends really helped. And the fact we were in Moseley and it was so busy gave us a lot of exposure.”
Anecdotal feedback from those who wrote notes was also positive, Smith said. “A lot of people, when they pulled out names, would say, ‘Oh! I took a class with that professor last semester!’ “ she said. “They would talk about how much they enjoyed the classes and then thanked them for giving back.”
Co-sponsored by the Student Government Association and Student Alumni Council, students also discussed their experiences both on campus and abroad, as well as their majors and their plans for after they graduate.
“I’m so happy that we got over 1,500 notes,” she said. “I can’t wait until next year to see if we can top it.”