Collage: Keegan Houser
During our fourth Big Give, the peerless Cal community — alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff, and friends the world over — came together with 8,644 gifts totaling more than $22 million, making Berkeley moments possible for years to come. The last time we held the online fundraising blitz, we raised half this year’s magnanimous total. Thank you for seizing the moment!
Gift- and social media-based prizes were awarded to schools and programs across campus, from the Botanical Garden to Linguistics, Athletics to the I School. Your passion and creativity shone through social media posts and contest entries, showing us the myriad reasons, from hilarious to inspiring, you were motivated to give.
Fourth-year student Suher Adi ’18, who shared her story on Facebook, was the first woman in her family to apply to college. She says the women before her had lived in war-torn countries or were displaced — so getting into a good school like Berkeley would honor them and the sacrifices they had made for her.
“On this International Women’s Day and on #CalBigGive, I would like to use my Berkeley moment to honor my amazing mother; without her I wouldn’t be about to graduate from my dream school,” wrote Adi. Her post won an extra $1,000 for the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
Your embrace of the event and generosity toward your favorite schools, colleges, and programs made this year’s Big Give a very big moment indeed. Visit BigGive.berkeley.edu to learn more.
