Lamar University (LU) will host the fourth annual Red Day virtual giving campaign on Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 17 and 18. The university will “Paint the Town Red” in celebration of this special fundraising event.
Red Day aims to inspire LU Cardinals, alumni and the community to come together to raise essential funds to support current and future students.
“In just a few short years, Red Day has become an integral part of the fabric and culture of Lamar University,” Associate Vice President for University Advancement Jeff Spoeri said. “It is an opportunity not only to give back to LU, but to recognize the successes of our students and graduates and to energize Cardinal Nation at the start of a new academic year.”
The promotion will run for 24 hours, and the university will periodically go live on LU’s social media accounts throughout the campaign to provide Red Day updates, welcome special guests, and spotlight each college with interviews, fundraising challenges and inspiring content from across campus.
“Most fundraising campaigns are focused on the dollars raised, but Red Day is different. We are striving to have as many individuals give back to Lamar University as possible,” Spoeri said. “Everything is geared toward inviting our community of alumni and friends to support LU and our students, and to encourage their friends, neighbors, and classmates to give as well. No gift is too small – the important thing is that everyone who cares about LU takes just a couple of minutes to make a gift that is meaningful to them.”
Donors are encouraged to choose where their support is given – a favorite college, LU Athletics, or endowments such as the LU Forever Fund, which supports the university’s greatest needs. The Lamar University Foundation will sponsor the “Red Day Top 3,” where the respective colleges will compete to win cash prizes for the three academic colleges that exceed their own number of donors from last year by the highest percentage.
In 2023, LU raised a total of $237,132 through generous contributions from donors around the world. The goal of 500 donors last year was surpassed, ending with a record 515 donors. This year, the university plans to set the goal at 500 donors again.
“Last year, Red Day stretched across a 32-hour span, or 1,923 minutes, to commemorate Lamar University’s centennial,” Spoeri said. “With the return to a 24-hour celebration, we are confident that we will exceed 500 individual donors despite the shorter time frame, and we encourage all alumni and friends of LU to participate with a gift in any amount to any area of the university.”
Each year, Red Day is scheduled around the anniversary of LU’s founding (Sept. 17, 1923), and this year marks a new century for the university. The collective generosity of hundreds of donors provides real-world learning experiences, resources for urgent scholarship support, and new opportunities for Lamar University as a whole.
“Lamar University is fortunate to have so many generous donors who support our students and our mission throughout the year,” Spoeri said. “Red Day is the one time annually when everyone who has benefited from Lamar University in their lives – whether alumni, community members, parents, industry, whatever – can show their appreciation for a university that has changed lives in southeast Texas and beyond for more than a century.”
For additional information about LU Red Day, contact John Rollins at jsrollins@lamar.edu or (409) 880-7374, or visit www.lamar.edu/redday.