As part of this season of gratitude, hundreds of Blue Hens took the time to support more than 50 unique student and faculty projects at the University of Delaware on Giving Tuesday. From experiential learning opportunities to athletic programs and scholarships, supporters connected with the causes that resonated with their passions and spoke to where they saw a need to make a meaningful gift.

“Giving Tuesday is a wonderful opportunity for Blue Hens both on campus and off to show their support for a campus project that is important to them, and see that support go on to make an immediate difference,” said Julie Donohue, associate director of annual giving. “It is thanks to the passionate support of many who believe in a cause that a student or faculty fundraising project is able to find success.”

More than 500 donors contributed more than $40,000 through the University’s HenFunder online fundraising platform on Tuesday, Dec. 3. Gifts were made at all levels throughout the day, emphasizing the importance and power of collective giving from a number of supporters.

One of the many projects to benefit from the recent collective giving surrounding the day was the Aaron B. Loether, PhD Legacy Graduate Student Support Fund. Established in honor of Aaron Loether, who died unexpectedly after being caught in a riptide in 2017, the fund helps UD graduate students travel to pursue their physics research. Overwhelming support from friends, family and even strangers has helped Aaron’s mother, Susan Loether, and her family surpass their original goal of raising $100,000 for the fund. On Giving Tuesday, they worked toward their new goal of raising $125,000 total.

“The support is tremendous because, to me, every dollar gets us closer to our goal of helping more students,” said Loether. “There is so much support for us, and I think Aaron would have wanted something like this, because it really does keep his name alive. When I thank people, I always thank them for keeping Aaron’s name and love of physics alive.”

Aaron was dedicated to pursuing the study of physics and hoped to teach on a college campus one day, Loether said. If Aaron was able to give advice to current physics students, Loether said her son would encourage them “to find something that you love to do and make that be your life’s work.” Thanks to the fund in his name, they can.

Across campus, the collective support received on Giving Tuesday similarly helped Blue Hens — opening doors to opportunities for research and experiential learning and connecting the campus community to key resources — while contributing to the continued success of Delaware First: The Campaign for the University of Delaware.

Among others, funds promoted on HenFunder during Giving Tuesday included the Student Crisis Fund, which supports eligible students who face a serious financial hardship due to unanticipated crisis; Engineers Without Borders UD, which is working to fundraise for current international engineering projects in the Philippines and Malawi; and University of Delaware Alternative Breaks, which connects students with social justice education, service opportunities and community engagement.

Often, giving to such groups and resources is about much more than financial support — it is about supporting a passion or helping the next generation of students. For members of the Deltones student a cappella group, who hope to record an album with the support they received via HenFunder on Giving Tuesday, it has always been part of the group’s mission to create a community on campus.

“When I joined freshman year, the older members of the group provided a lot of guidance for me, and I would say now, after being in the group for three years, they are my on-campus family,” said Christine Colalillo, president of the Deltones and a senior majoring in political science. “We make music and I think we sound great, but our motto is ‘friends first, singers second.’ ”

Every three years, the Deltones arrange for a recording to take place on campus. It’s a way for members to remember their time with the group and far away friends and family can hear the student members perform.

Although fundraising for the album continues, the Deltones are more than halfway to their goal thanks to support. Colalillo said she is looking forward to having the recording—and one day returning to campus as a supportive alumna herself.

“We have a really large alumni group who will come to every concert, and when I look through who our contributions were from, most of them were from alumni,” Colalillo said. “We just really appreciate the continued support. We wouldn’t be able to make this album without our network of funders, and we’re really excited to share it with everyone.”

Although Giving Tuesday is over, those who wish to support these projects and others can still make a gift here.