Not to be confused with Thanksgiving Day, Giving Day was celebrated at Sonoma State this past Thursday. This was the third annual celebration encouraging SSU community members to donate to programs and causes on campus.  

Participating donors on Giving Day were encouraged to donate at least $5 to school departments, sports, greek life, and many other causes and organizations. On Giving Day, multiple SSU organizations and clubs set up tables at the Seawolf Plaza from 9a.m.-3p.m. The plaza was adorned with decorations, music, and a photo booth, which contributed to the sense of celebration on the campus. All in all, there were five tables working the event. Students and faculty could participate in activities or learn more about how they could donate from the groups that were tabling. 

The Division of University Advancement was the main focus of Giving Day. There were Crumbl cookies, bundt cakes, and 200 pizzas provided by Mountain Mike’s Pizza. Third-year communications and economics double major Jason Hill was working as a part of the Division of Advancement on Giving Day and said, “there was fantastic energy in the plaza, and it was great seeing everybody come out to celebrate and support. Giving Day is all about celebrating the community at Sonoma State and trying to fundraise for the future.” Seawolves and their supporters evidently came out in full force, because Hill noted all of the provided pizzas, “Were gone in the span of about 30 minutes.”

Apart from joining in on the campus festivities, students could also contribute by spreading awareness about Giving Day and using the hashtag ‘AllForSonomaState’ on social media. Aside from written checks, donations were also conducted online; students could go to givingday.sonoma.edu to send in their contributions, and the page remained open for 24 hours starting the day of the event.  

Campus mascot Lobo was also out and about on Giving Day, taking pictures at the photo booth with Seawolves. When asked for a comment, Lobo gave a cheerful thumbs up. 

Fourth-year communications major Devon Bly remarked, “[The event] was cool to walk through because it always feels fun when the plaza is hosting events.” He added, “I guess we forget pretty often what we can give back and about all of the organizations [here], so it’s good to have a reminder.”

Hill finished his remarks on the event by highlighting the hard work that the Division of University Advancement put into making it happen. He said, “I love the spirit of the people and how hard the people in my department worked to make the day successful. Even though we dealt with some setbacks like a windy day which knocked over our display at one point, it was still fun.”