Southern Utah University hosted its second annual Giving Thor’s Day on Thursday, Feb. 27, in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Rotunda. Organized by SUU’s Advancement Office, the event encouraged community participation through activities and challenges such as the Hammerfest and the Sharwan Showdown.
Competing individually or as a team, anyone could take part in the Hammerfest from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. To win, contestants had to hold a 15-pound hammer upright with their arms outstretched and for a longer amount of time than the previous record.
The contest attracted a large crowd, with whistles and shouts of encouragement. Finalists competed for the grand prize of a gold hammer. The winner got to sign it and keep it for the rest of the year before passing it onto the next.
“We’ve had a lot of participation from students and from faculties and staff this year, so that’s been really great,” said Annual Giving Manager of SUU Advancement Jaley Cox. “It’s been a lot of really good energy.”
The Sharwan Showdown was held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students competed for a chance to win one of the five $500 scholarships while Alumni, community, and friends battled to win a $1,000 scholarship given in their name. To participate, attendees had to complete seven tasks before entering their name in the raffle.
“Giving Thor’s Day is great. This is the second year we’ve done it, and I think it’s a really good opportunity to get students involved in donating back to scholarships because it’s a big reason why a lot of people can be here and go to SUU,” said Prospect Development & Research Manager for SUU Advancement Makayla Brown.
SUU’s annual Giving Day provides the community with an opportunity to support the university through donations. Contributions, ranging from $4 to larger amounts are used to fund scholarships, campus programs and other initiatives.
“We want to get everything in the spirit of giving back and let all the students know how much we see them,” said Cox. “(Last year) with this, we were able to give out $13,000 worth of scholarships, so hopefully, students know that we’re doing the best we can to help them support them.”
This year’s Giving Thor’s Day only exceeded that measurement. Its goal of 150 donors was surpassed with167 contributors and they raised a total of $26,776.
Thanks to the generosity of the community, SUU has the opportunity to grow and improve; one of the main objectives of Giving Thor’s Day.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Editor: Heather Turner
Photo by Heather Turner
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