‘Warriors Give’ raises $200,000

Eastern alumni and friends raised more than $200,000 to directly benefit students, multidisciplinary initiatives, athletics, and scholarships during Eastern’s 10^th annual “Warriors Give” campaign. The online giving campaign, held April 28-30, encouraged Eastern supporters to invest in student success through a wide variety of categories and donation challenges.

The three-day campaign launched with a kick-off party, bringing together alumni, staff, and student leaders to network and learn how private support positively impacts student experiences. After the kick-off party, donations opened, giving alumni access to directly support 21 challenges, 21 academic support programs, 23 sports programs, and 13 student success programs and initiatives.

Over the course of Warriors Give, donors contributed $99,182 through direct gifts, with an additional $102,500 pledged through commitments from alumni, faculty, and organizations. These commitments unlocked challenge dollars when fundraising challenges were completed, increasing the impact of each contribution.

Theresa Kalber ‘70 and her husband, Ray Kalber, committed $60,000 across 12 challenges. Their example was followed by alumni Lisa Kirk ’84, Zach Mehrbach ’06, Beth Regan ’79, and Tim White ’81, along with accounting and business information systems professor Alex Citurs, Rick McCarthy, the Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts, and the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut. The group’s combined contributions brought an additional $42,500 to inspire participation throughout the three-day event.

Among the challenges, donors could choose to support academic programs like biology, business information systems, communication, film, and theatre, as well as sports programs such as baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and softball.

Ryan Rose ‘00, M’11, associate director of the Office of Development and Alumni Engagement and a campaign coordinator, shared how he views supporting his alma mater: “It’s about supporting the programs that were important to us, that make it a better experience for the students that come after.”

Rose reflected on his experience playing on Eastern’s inaugural men’s lacrosse team. “I want [current students] to have the opportunities that I didn’t have,” he said. “Looking back at the small budget we were surviving on, my experience would have been better if we had more support.”

What it means to be a Warrior

While monetary gifts were a primary objective of the campaign, Rachel Valliere, assistant director of the Annual Fund and advancement services and a Warriors Give campaign coordinator, outlined additional ways to support the University. “It can be as simple as donating time, volunteering at events, coming back to speak to a class, or attending alumni events,” she said. “It can also be as simple as sharing a Facebook post or telling a high schooler about how great a time you had.”

Rose added: “Get in contact with the areas you’ve been involved with. It’s not always about money. Sometimes it’s coming back to campus and talking to a class, lending your expertise on something, volunteering, and mentoring.”

How to support

Although Warriors Give has ended for the 2025-2026 academic year, donors may still contribute to the programs, teams, and scholarships from the campaign for a limited time via the Warriors Give website.