Classmates,
The All Academies Challenge competition against Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines starts tomorrow, Sunday, 16 May, and runs through Thursday, May 20. Also, during this competition we are kicking off ‘78’s efforts to support the construction of the new Alumni Association and Foundation Center as part of our 50th class gift as was discussed in our January “State of the Class” email and our Class News column in the May edition of Shipmate. Donations during these five days (May 16-20) gives us the opportunity to participate in the All Academies Challenge, supports ‘78’s 50th gift, and if you choose to become a plank owner of the new Alumni Center, you will also become a member of the Foundation’s President’s Circle.
The Challenge is the annual competition where the service academy with the largest percentage of alumni making a gift wins. Last year, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 6,000 USNA alumni came together to show their support during the 2020 All Academy Challenge, shattering all prior participation records and raising almost $1.2 million to support midshipmen international programs, athletic programs, admissions outreach, the Center for Cyber Security Studies, the Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, and other programs. Any gift you give counts whether it is $5 or $500. If you only want to participate in the Challenge, on Sunday through Thursday, make your gift on the web page here.?You will be able to select the fund to which you want your gift to apply including Alumni Center Fund (all classes).
If you want to support ‘78’s 50th Class Gift for the new Alumni Association and Foundation Alumni Center you can make your donation at this link, www.usna.com/give/plankowner. This link takes you to a page where the “gift” is already selected as Alumni Association and Foundation Center. You will insert the amount of your gift, whether your gift is one-time, monthly or a pledge. If you want to be a “Plankowner” of the Center you must commit to a gift of $2500/year for 5 years or make a one time gift of $12,500. If you choose to give your gift over 5 years, on the form select “I would like to make my gift- a pledge”; “pay my pledge – annually”; and, “For a period of – 5 years” Making your first gift next week, Sunday through Thursday, will also count for the All Academies Challenge and make you a member of the Foundation’s President Circle. Please see the attached brochure for more information on ‘78’s gift for the Alumni Center. The brochure only describes the first part of our 50th Class gift. The overall target amount and the other components of our 50th Class gift will be set around the time of our 45th Reunion.
If you have questions about our 50th Class Gift (Part 1) and becoming a plank owner, please email Sean Coffey at seancoffey78@gmail.com or Glen Woods at glenwoods@verizon.net. We have had a lot of classmates asking about becoming an Alumni Center plankowner. Hope you will join us.
Fair winds…
Glen
Glen Woods
President, USNA Class of 1978