1:55 p.m., Oct. 5, 2009----More than 200 University of Delaware students joined in “thank you parties” held Wednesday and Thursday to prepare thank you notes to the generous donors who provided gifts to support their named scholarships.

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The events, held Wednesday evening, Sept. 30, at Christiana Commons and again Thursday evening, Oct. 1, in the Rodney Room of the Perkins Student Center, were sponsored by UD Donor Relations and Special Events in the Office of University Development.

Students who have received named scholarships wrote thank you notes to the donors of those scholarships, then socialized while preparing to provide video testimonials.

Students also were encouraged to write on a “Wall of Thanks,” which is a giant banner that will be on display at various University Development events, including the Celebration of Scholarship in May 2010.

Students discussed the impacts of their scholarships on their lives. “It has given me the opportunity to stay here at UD, and supported me financially since I am paying for a good amount of my schooling,” said Connor Whitesel, an exercise sciences major and the recipient of the David A. Sharp Academic Excellence Award for Men's Cross-Country/Track.

Jessica Woodruff, associate director of donor relations, said, “It's wonderful to see so many UD scholars recognizing how important it is to say something as simple as 'thank you.' We had a tremendous response from students to attend these events, which I know is reflective of their gratitude. The thank you notes students wrote will be sent to donors this fall, and in the spring donors and recipients will have a chance to meet at the Celebration of Scholarship.”

Throughout both evenings, students talked about the gratitude they felt for the opportunities provided by scholarships. Debra Starr, an accounting major and a recipient of the William Markell Scholarship, said she was pleased to receive the scholarship because “it helped make it easier on my family.”

Photos by Evan Krape