Mary Wash Day Celebrates Philanthropy, Engagement, and UMW Pride

When life threw Christine Exley ’09 a challenge during her senior year of college, University of Mary Washington friends and faculty got her through it.

“I was so excited for the next phase of my life, then everything was turned upside down,” said Christine, who praised the support she found at UMW after she was diagnosed with a condition that causes progressive blindness. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in economics at Stanford University and became an associate professor at Harvard Business School and at the University of Michigan, where she currently teaches economics.

On Mary Wash Day, held one week from today, Christine is challenging fellow 2000s graduates to give to the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington, which underpins every aspect of the UMW experience. Each gift will help students take giant leaps intellectually, socially, and personally, just as Christine did. She and UMW Executive Director of Development Beth Waters Hunsinger ’01 will match donations from $5 to $250 to the Fund, up to $2,000, on Thursday, April 4.

Mary Wash Day donations help keep UMW’s class sizes small and provide undergraduate research opportunities for students to work alongside faculty mentors. Here, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs Ranjit Singh speaks one on one with junior Shadwick Yoder, a political science major and environmental sustainability minor.

Service and volunteer experiences give UMW students the chance to make a difference on campus and in the community while exploring leadership roles and potential careers. Here, junior Celia Golden spreads mulch on Good Neighbor Day. Gifts on Mary Wash Day support COAR and the Center for Community Engagement, the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and other entities that provide meaningful experiences for students. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.

Donations on Mary Wash Day to Friends of Athletics or to a specific sports program provide critical support to help enhance the UMW student-athlete experience, supporting recruiting, professional development and training, team travel, athletic facilities, equipment and uniforms, and more. Here, senior UMW Men’s Basketball guard Cameron McCravy holds off a player on the opposing team. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.

Gifts on Mary Wash Day support student scholarships and help UMW students make groundbreaking discoveries in their fields. Here, junior Rachel Walker, who earned the Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 and James D. Rodgers Student Research Fellowship II, conducts hands-on research in the Jepson Science Center. Photo by Tom Rothenberg.

Contributions to UMW Theatre on Mary Wash Day will help students learn to create plays and musicals that encourage conversations with their audience. Here, senior Maddie Baylor performs in Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on the Orient Express.’ Gifts can also be made to UMW Galleries, UMW Philharmonic, Gari Melchers Home and Studio, the James Monroe Museum, and the William B. Crawley Great Lives Lecture Series. Photo by Geoff Greene.

Generous alumni, families, friends, faculty and staff have stepped up this year to sponsor more than $400,000 in challenges and matches, exceeding totals from previous years, Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14 said. Their commitment will double and even triple the impact of each gift, she said, helping the University reach its goal of 2,500 gifts from 1,000 alumni donors and 250 new supporters in 2024.

Challenges and matches support the Fund for Mary Washington, student scholarships, academic departments, leadership and service organizations, arts and athletics, campus beautification, and more. Goals include:

• 540 gifts (Fredericksburg’s area code) will unlock a $5,000 gift from Virginia Blackwell ’67 and John Rigsby
• 1,908 gifts (UMW’s founding year) will result in a $6,000 donation from Mary Louise Holmes ’97
• 2,500 gifts will unlock $100,000 from an anonymous donor to establish a scholarship in memory of Elizabeth Carolyn Vaughan Pritchett ’46
• If gifts are made from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Vicky Nichols Wilder ’80 and former UMW Chief of Staff Marty Wilder ’80 will donate $6,000
• When 1,000 alumni make a gift, Steve and Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68 will give $10,000
• When 250 gifts are made from first-time donors, Patti Boise Kemp ’69 will give $15,000 for student scholarships
• When 50 young alumni donate to UMW for the first time, Matt ’19 and Sarah Balenger Good ’19 will give $1,000
• When 100 gifts are made by Mary Washington alumni married to other alumni, Rob ’93 and Dodie Denison Whitt ’95 will donate $5,000
• Kourtney and Terrance Whitehead, parents of two UMW students, will unlock a $5,000 gift when 450 gifts are made by parents of current students or parents of alumni
• In honor of their 50th Reunion, the Class of 1974 Reunion Committee is sponsoring a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $7,000

In addition, a Devil-Goat contest sponsored by Mike ’95 and Katie Valentine Charnoff ’04 will encourage friendly competition between odd- and even-year graduates. Valerie Parks ’80, Susan Leavitt ’83, Abas ’85 and Eileen Brown Adenan ’88, and Mary Helen Dellinger ’90 will each sponsor an Eagle power hour, energizing the UMW community to donate at various points throughout the day.

After making a gift at givingday.umw.edu, supporters can spotlight their names and gifts on the donor wall or remain anonymous, as well as track progress on dynamic leaderboards. Participants can also engage in events hosted throughout the day by UMW’s Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement and campus partners.

Festivities kick off at 7:30 a.m. with a “grab and go” breakfast for faculty and staff on the steps of the Cedric Rucker University Center, which will later become a student headquarters with games, prizes, photobooths, and stations for donations, selfies, and thank you notes. UMW Dining will also have a Mary Wash Day themed menu.

Students will have the opportunity to answer trivia in the Eagle Cash Cart and snag a rubber eagle from the fountain in front of Monroe Hall. They can also find 10 stuffed eagles hidden on campus to earn a chance to win $100 to designate to the area of their choice, courtesy of Patti Boise Kemp ’69.

As the sun begins to set, blue lights will illuminate the Cedric Rucker University Center in honor of UMW’s primary color. Local alumni can participate in a happy hour at Rey Azteca in Eagle Village, followed by trivia at Adventure Brewing, led by Alumni Association board member Karmel James ’13. Richmond residents are invited to a happy hour garden party hosted by Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Eric Gable and the Richmond Alumni Regional Network. Register at alumni.umw.edu/events.

Members of the UMW community are also encouraged to sign up as Mary Wash Day ambassadors. They’ll receive a customized dashboard and social media toolkit to inspire others to contribute, as well as a chance to receive an exclusive UMW bento box. Those who post on social are asked to tag @umw_alumni and @marywash and use #TogetherUMW and #UMWAlumni.

Browse areas of support and make your gift April 4 on the Mary Wash Day website. More information about Mary Wash Day can be found on the FAQ Page.

-Article written by Associate Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04