Recently, UW-Whitewater wrapped up its annual 1868 Minutes to Give initiative, a donation program set up throughout the campus. The event was modeled after the year that Whitewater was founded, back in 1868, and focused on alumni giving back to the university that helped them along the way.
The idea came from a conference that Kennedy Heckel went to, where she networked over the summer with colleagues in a similar position at another UW System school, and created the idea of having a give-back event, boiling it down to two days and 1,868 minutes.
“Our focus was really to connect with all of the different coaches, program leaders or deans to have their say on which funds we were supporting, and we hope that resonated with some of the alumni that either graduated from those programs or played from those coaches,” said Heckel, one of the chief organizers of this event, who works in alumni engagement. “For the students, it’s just a way for them to get involved and realize what the alumni do in terms of giving back and what the foundation does, and the opportunities that the foundation works to provide them in terms of scholarship and things like that.”
Heckel herself is an athletic alumna, playing volleyball during her time at Whitewater, and aimed to give others the opportunity to do what she enjoys doing, helping current Warhawks.
“I also enjoy talking to parents of prospective recruits, they always ask me, ‘Why Whitewater?’ I tell them you’re gonna get three experiences,” Athletic Director Ryan Callahan said. “You’re gonna get a great athletic experience, you’re gonna have a great education and you’re gonna meet the best friends of your life.”
In a previous article about the Whitewater mantra, “Powered by Tradition,” there were multiple mentions of how Whitewater is able to sustain success year after year. The 1868 Minutes to Give initiative is one of many examples of that continuing to happen on campus.
The campaign raised multiple opportunities for former Warhawks to give back to the university, allowing them to donate to the Warhawk Emergency Fund, Warhawk athletics, the food pantry, multiple scholarships and veterans programs, as well as all the majors and academic departments students have on campus. At the time of publishing, the event has raised a total of over $93,400, and that number is only growing with the generous donations made outside of this event.
“Obviously, we set a goal in terms of the monetary amount, but for us it’s more about engagement and empowering our alumni to be able to give back and feel like they’re still contributing and involved in UW-Whitewater,” Heckel said. “Obviously, the big fundraising number is awesome to see, but we really try to encourage any sort of participation as our focus.”
Heckel highlighted another opportunity for alumni coming soon in June called “Our Stories, Our Future.” It will allow former students to share their stories and their experiences at UW-W. Once again, another great opportunity for alumni and current students alike to help each other out.
Support the university by Donating to Warhawks Give 2025.
