Alumni Badgers all in for "Pay It Forward" Letterwinner Challenge
May 21, 2021 | General News, Softball
With 32.5% of letterwinners participating, softball takes home the victory in inaugural letterwinner challenge
MADISON, Wis. — Launched this past January, the Pay It Forward Letterwinners Challenge came to a close this week with the victory going to the UW Softball team. Thanks to our letterwinners' support and generosity, the full campaign saw an all-time high of 1,045 letter winner participants. Nearly, $1.35 million dollars has been raised by W Club letterwinners for Wisconsin Athletics during the campaign.
The new campaign aimed to engage and ignite the competitive spirit of W Club letterwinners and encouraged support for each of our athletic teams as they faced different hardships during the global pandemic.
"The Pay It Forward Letterwinner Challenge provided a unique opportunity to engage our former student-athletes, and it came as no surprise that they rose to the occasion to help future generations of Badgers," said Executive Director of the W Club Nick Pasquarello. "Keeping our letterwinners connected is a tenet of what we do and why 'Once a Badger, Always a Badger' is much more than just a saying."
The winning team, UW Softball, was chosen based on the highest percentage of letterwinners who made a gift to support their sport. Softball drove 32.5% of letterwinners to participate. They will be awarded a 2021 Badger game day tailgate & an on-field recognition at a UW Football game this season.
"A special thank you to all of our Wisconsin softball alumni for your continued support of Badger Athletics," said Yvette Healy, University of Wisconsin head softball coach. "We are so proud of your gratitude in action, donating back to an athletics department that helped create so many memories. There's no doubt something special is happening in the Wisconsin softball program, advancing to NCAA regional championships and winning Big Ten titles. We can't wait to celebrate this accomplishment with our Badger Softball alumni on the football field this fall!
The support from Wisconsin Athletics letterwinners has been overwhelmingly positive and we thank them all for their participation! Though the official challenge has come to an end, letterwinners still interested in donating to support their sport can do so at SupportTheBadgers.org.
"Gift funds are critical to supporting student-athlete scholarships and the success of our programs each year," said Assistant Athletic Director of Development Chad Kimmel. "It is truly inspiring to see so many letterwinners giving back to support the next generation of Badgers."
