Vassar Athletics to Kick Off Annual Day of Giving

Each team has set its own fund-raising goal, and the College has set a total goal of 2,100 donors this year. Eighty percent of each gift to a team goes directly to that team, and the remaining 20 percent is allocated to the Department of Athletics and Physical Education for programs and equipment that benefit all student-athletes. Funds allocated to the teams enable them to acquire needed equipment and take team-building trips for competition in other parts of the country—and, in some cases, other parts of the world.

Some of the money donated to the men’s and women’s fencing teams will enable them to make a long-awaited trip to Greece next year, where they will meet former Varsity Fencing Coach Christina Massiala-Vaka and her husband, who retired there a few years ago and invited the team to visit.

“There is lots of fencing in Greece and a rich fencing history as the birthplace of the Olympics,” said current Head Fencing Coach Bruce Gillman. “For the past few years, we have been saving to take the team on a foreign tour to Athens and we are finally doing it this coming January. Without the Day of Giving, we might never have that great opportunity, so we are grateful to all of our friends, family, and [alums] for their support. We are also grateful for the donations that help support the athletic trainers, and the strength and conditioning programs that benefit our team and all of our student-athletes.

Julia Lawless ’25, Vice President of the Student Athletes Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of the women’s lacrosse team, said the Day of Giving campaign has had a significant impact. “Over the past two years, the team has seen tremendous improvements in our resources on and off the field,” Lawless said. “As a team, we’ve participated in workshops on mindfulness, meditative practices, nutrition, and communication. These helpful ‘how-tos’ were instrumental to our success as athletes and individuals on and off the field. In pursuit of training and improving our athletic performance, we have been able to invest in new equipment to help our shooting and defensive skills. These funds have taken us far and wide, helping to cover our spring training trips to Florida and Pennsylvania.”

Michelle Walsh, Director of Athletics and Physical Education, said the Day of Giving had become an integral part of the College’s efforts to provide the best possible experience for all of Vassar’s student-athletes to excel in competition, in the classroom, and in their communities. “With costs for the ‘basics’ such as transportation, equipment, uniforms, and team meals continuing to rise, the support we generate from the Day of Giving is absolutely essential to providing our student-athletes with the tools they need to be successful,” Walsh said. “Donor support helps our teams to participate in winter and spring training trips, purchase and maintain specialized training equipment and video analysis programs, attend sport performance programming, and much, much more. We remain incredibly grateful for the support that we have received in the past and hope that our alums, families, and friends will join us once again for this year’s Day of Giving to help our student-athletes strive to learn and grow in the pursuit of excellence, both on and off the field.”