By Sarah Leskovec

The 2015 NIRSA Annual Conference and Recreational Sport Expo at the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, Texas was a stellar success for your NIRSA Foundation! Attendees took part in a number of exciting NIRSA Foundation conference opportunities, and donors generously gave to support the Foundation in its work of providing NIRSA members with opportunities for scholarship, research, and professional development.

Donors to the Annual Conference Giving Campaign raised over $48,000 in individual member contributions; over 350 members opted to “Pay It Forward” by making a donation directly to the NIRSA Foundation. Thank you members! Many made gifts of $100+ or $250+ to add their name to the Great State of Texas Giving Board. Student also answered the call this year, with over 90 donating to the Annual Giving Campaign! Many of these students embraced the challenge by making a participant-level donation of $25 to kick off their lifetime of giving. Thank you, students!

In addition to financial contributions, members gave their time and talent to help the local community by participating in the 2015 NIRSA Foundation Community Service Project. Seventy-nine NIRSA members volunteered with Grapevine Relief And Community Exchange (GRACE). GRACE is a nonprofit relief agency which provides food, clothing, financial assistance, and other vital necessities to people who are struggling with a limited income or recent emergency. Members had the opportunity to help in the community garden as well as at the GRACE Donation Station, Resale Shop, and Food Pantry.

Members also helped raise funds while having fun participating in conference activities including the Annual Golf Tournament, the T-shirt Competition and Apparel Sale, the Mark Fletcher Fun Run/Walk, and the Quilt Raffle. The Foundation also—for the very first time— held the inaugural Hoop Shoot and sold decks of Paul Wesselmann’s Ripples cards to further its mission of “Supporting Today, Ensuring Tomorrow.”

This year’s Golf Tournament celebrated 21 years of tradition, fun, and giving with 147 NIRSA professionals, students, associate members, and vendors who participated in an 18-hole, four-person scramble at the beautiful Tour 18 golf course. The tournament raised almost $13,000 to support the future of collegiate recreation! A list of tournament winners is on the NIRSA website.

The T-shirt Competition and Apparel Sale once again proved popular. There were 175 entries into the T-shirt Competition—the highly-coveted “Best in Show” designation went to the Special Events T-shirt from The University of Texas at Tyler—and the Apparel Sale generated over $4,000.

On Thursday morning, 148 members enjoyed a wonderful 5K course around the Gaylord property for the Annual Mark Fletcher Fun Run/Walk. While no official times were kept, it was clear that every participant had a great time! The Fun Run/Walk elevated more than heart beats—it also raised $4,500.

NIRSA Foundation Scholarship winners sold Quilt Raffle tickets throughout the Annual Conference, and at the Closing General Session one ticket was drawn to reveal that Chris Schmidt from Providence College was the lucky winner of the 2015 NIRSA Foundation Quilt! The quilt featured the 2014 T-shirt Contest winners and was quilted by Master Quilter and NIRSA Emeritus Member Roy Easley.

New this year, NIRSA members were able to show off their skills and support the NIRSA Foundation by participating in the Hoop Shoot, which was held during the Recreational Sports Expo. For $1, participants were given 45 seconds to shoot as many free throws as possible. The $100 cash prizes were awarded to the top male and female with the most baskets! Anja Shelton, Marketing Assistant at Austin Peay State University, was the female winner with 22 baskets while DJ Preston, Assistant Director for Sports Clubs at Virginia Tech, was the male winner with 25 baskets.

The NIRSA Foundation partnered with closing keynote speaker Paul Wesselmann, “The Ripples Guy,” to create exclusive NIRSA Foundation Ripples cards. Members had an opportunity to purchase the cards after the Closing General Session. Each deck came with 30 inspirational quotes to help members feel good all month long! The Foundation generated $3,000 through the sales.

To cap off the Annual Conference, Dave Koch from the University of San Diego was honored with the NIRSA Foundation Leadership Award during the Honor Award Banquet. The NIRSA Foundation Board of Directors annually recognizes a member that has given significant time, talent, and treasure to the NIRSA Foundation. Please join us in congratulating Dave for his outstanding service to, and continued support of, the Foundation!

If you didn’t get the chance to make your donation in Grapevine, want to give more, or weren’t able to attend the Annual Conference this year, you still have the opportunity to contribute!  Visit the “GIVE” tab on the NIRSA website to continue helping us “Pay It Forward!” And in case you missed it, you can view the full list of 2015 NIRSA Foundation Scholarship winners in this news article.

 

For more information on the NIRSA Foundation, please contact NIRSA Leadership Coordinator Sarah Leskovec.

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