Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/909619
4 CAVALIER CORNER 2017 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS President William L. Tyson, Richmond, Va. Vice President Alan A. McClure, Atlanta, Ga. Secretary-Treasurer Dirk P. Katstra, Charlottesville, Va. Immediate Past President Scott A. Dockter, Atlanta, Ga. Trustees Mia M. Bass, Alexandria, Va. Charles R. Birdsong, Suffolk, Va. Richard L. Booth Jr., Charlottesville, Va. Franklin S. Edmonds Jr., Charlottesville, Va. James T. Fang, Williamsburg, Va. G. Slaughter Fitz-Hugh III, Richmond, Va. W. Heywood Fralin, Roanoke, Va. Edmund F. Garno III, Haverford, Pa. Michael S. Geismar, Charlottesville, Va. Marvin W. Gilliam Jr., Bristol, Va. Gregory S. Ledford, Washington, D.C. Craig K. Littlepage, Charlottesville, Va. Mark M. Luellen, Charlottesville, Va. Douglas S. Luke Jr., New York, N.Y. T. Douglas McQuade, Roanoke, Va. Juliana Schulte O'Reilly, McLean, Va. Barry L. Parkhill, Keswick, Va. Cynthia Brinker Simmons, Dallas, Texas Anne Carter Smith, Charlotte, N.C. Mission Statement The Virginia Athletics Foundation, through its fundraising efforts, strives to support a preeminent intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Virginia by providing student- athletes the opportunity to achieve academic and athletic excellence. Virginia Athletics Foundation P.O. Box 400833 Charlottesville, VA 22904-4833 (434) 982-5555 | (800) 626-8723 (434) 982-5025 FAX www.VirginiaAthleticsFoundation.com Dear Cavalier Fans, As we enter the final weeks of the year, our entire staff is thankful for the thousands of generous donors who loyally contribute each year to support our coaches and student-athletes. This generosity is vital to the over- all success of each of our 27 sports. Over the course of this year, we have had many fun- draising celebrations, including the beginning of the construction for the Davenport Field expansion project and the groundbreaking of the new Golf Practice Facility at Birdwood Golf Course. There are still many gift opportunities for donors who want to support each project, especially the Golf Practice Facility with multiple naming op- portunities still available. The renovated men's basketball locker room opened in early November and was funded entirely by donor contributions. This new locker room is an im- pressive recruiting tool for Coach Bennett and has created a new home for our basketball student-athletes including a nutrition station, video classroom, rest and recovery room and lounge/study space. We have also seen great progress on our scholarship endowment fundrais- ing as part of the University's Bicentennial Scholars Fund matching gift pro- gram. Over $3.5 million in scholarship endowment commitments have been made this year, creating multiple scholarships across several sports. It will be important for our long term success to continue to add endowed scholarship commitments each year. Please contact our office if you are interested in dis- cussing how the Bicentennial matching gift program can impact our scholar- ship endowment. Our Annual Fund continues to track at a pace just slightly above last year's month-to-month totals. Over 2,200 donors have increased their commitment by 10% and 475 have increased to the next level. In addition, over 750 new donors have made their first commitment or reactivated their giving. While these successes are significant, we are still tracking below the level required to keep pace with the increase in scholarship costs each year. Retention of 2016 donors and attracting new donors will be a major focus for our staff in the last few weeks of this year. Additionally, many donors take advantage of favorable tax conditions to make additional gifts or to make their 2018 annual fund gift prior to the end of the year. Our staff is happy to discuss any of these options, should you have an interest. Once the final results are complete at the end of 2017, I look forward to sharing more successes with you. The ongoing generosity of our donor base is truly amazing and the impact is evident as our student-athletes proudly repre- sent the University in the classroom and in competition. Best regards, Dirk P. Katstra Executive Director Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/VirginiaAthleticsFoundation