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On Thursday, May 4, 2023, as part of its college-wide Forever Green fundraising campaign, champions of AV���� gathered on Tacoma’s waterfront for the annual Art of Giving Gala and Auction where together they gave $395,000 to support the college’s scholarship fund. 

This year’s event-themed “Reasons to Believe,” launched with a four-week virtual scholarship drive including a $10,000 dollar-for-dollar match donated by AV���� parents Betsy and John Donnelly and concluded with the gala on May 4. Gifts to the Art of Giving benefit the AV���� Scholarship Fund which provides renewable scholarships that increase in size as students near graduation. In addition, the funds raised will move AV���� closer to its $55+ million-dollar campaign goal. To date, the five-year campaign which concludes on June 30, 2024, has raised more than $49 million dollars.

“AV���� serves students who go on to lead, to serve, to solve problems, and to build more just communities,” said Dr. John Carmichael, President of AV����, who addressed more than 200 gala goers. “We need these students regardless of their family or economic circumstances. We need them. And they need some help from us.” 

Almost 35 percent of AV���� students identify as low-income, and 22 percent are the first in their family to attend college. One of the goals of the Forever Green campaign is to double the amount of scholarship support provided to students. Onya Robertson a senior at AV����’s Tacoma campus shared, “This AV���� education has allowed me to rebirth my dreams I thought I left behind many years ago. I learned with AV���� that I get to decide the life I want, I get to show my children and everyone else watching, that they do not have to give up on their dreams. Because of AV����, I know the world is mine.” 

“At the recent public launch of AV����’s inaugural college-wide $55 million-dollar fundraising campaign,” shared Dr. Dexter Gordon, Executive Vice President for AV����. “I noted that AV���� has touched all our lives…students, alums, professors, community members…we all benefit from AV����'s commitment to inclusive excellence. As I survey my years as an educator in higher ed, AV���� continues to stand apart as the place of learning most alive to its responsibility to democracy as part of its larger public policy.”

From the stage, leading sponsor Washington State Employees Credit Union, spoke of the value of partnerships with organizations like AV����, “Washington State Employees Credit Union is a proud partner with AV���� in areas of financial education, student support, and scholarships.” said Suzanne Klenk, Financial Educator and Coach with Community Relations for WSECU. “It’s partnerships like this that allow us to do more….to be more. Through this partnership, we are not just a financial institution. We are a community partner and advocate for equity in education.” 

AV���� Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to building an outstanding future for students. To learn how you can make a difference with a gift, visit the Forever Green webpage or email foundation@evergreen.edu.

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OLYMPIA – AV���� has hired an exceptional coach to start up its men’s wrestling team. ��

Greg Ford, Jr. be joining AV���� athletics after the holidays to prepare for the college’s first wrestling season in 2023. ��

“We are very excited to be adding this talented coaching staff member to help us kick off AV����’s new wrestling program,” said Zeb Hoffman, Assistant Intercollegiate Athletic Director for AV����. “Greg has a strong wrestling background and has helped raise several athletes to the national level. We look forward to his passion and leadership to help us build this wrestling program.”��

Ford will lead the men’s team. He has been involved with wrestling since he was a small child, winning his first state title when he was only five years old. He has coached for Washington’s National Wrestling Team since 2016, has been the Junior Director for Washington State Wrestling since 2018, has his gold coaching certification from USA wrestling and has also been the head coach for two high school wrestling teams. ��

AV���� announced it would be starting teams for men’s and women’s wrestling and cross country earlier this month to complement the college’s men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, track and field and women’s volleyball teams. ��

Entrepreneurs, Kim Kaufman and Jimmy Goldsmith, have made a $150,000 commitment to give $50,000 per year for the next three years to support the new wrestling and cross-country teams. ��

“Kim is an AV���� graduate and her husband Jimmy has deep experience in the sports industry. Their donation will get our new teams off to a great start, “said Abby Kelso, AV����’s Vice President for Advancement.��

“We are beyond excited to partner with AV���� in launching these new athletics teams. It’s the perfect project aligned with my passion for AV���� and Jimmy’s passion for sports, “said Kaufman.��

“With the popularity of youth wrestling on the rise, the wrestling program is of particular interest to us. We’re excited to cheer on the team, especially in their first few years,“added Goldsmith.��

AV���� athletics will host a signing event at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30 where several wrestlers will sign their letters of intent to become Geoducks. The event will take place in the Evans Hall lobby on the Olympia campus. ��

For more info about AV���� athletics visit www.gogeoducks.com. To learn more about AV����, visit evergreen.edu. ��

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