Fourth Annual March Matchness Raises Over $18,600

Playing off of the NCAA’s March Madness, Oswego bracketology sets up a fun-spirited fundraising competition between classes of Graduates Of the Last Decade.

SUNY Oswego’s Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) not only surpassed an initial goal of 200 donors, but also a super goal of 225 donors in the Fourth Annual March Matchness fundraising challenge.

Louis A. Borrelli Jr. ’77, an Oswego College Foundation board member and School of Communication, Media and the Arts advisory board member, agreed to donate $10,000 to The Fund for Oswego if 200 Graduates Of the Last Decade made a gift during March.

After reaching the 200 donor goal with only three days left, Borrelli offered to increase his gift to $13,000 if 25 more GOLD alumni made their gift during March Matchness. With Borrelli’s challenge gifts, March Matchness raised a total of $18,618 for The Fund for Oswego.

“I am not surprised The GOLD Gang (a.k.a. ‘younger and better looking’ alumni) met and then exceeded this challenge,” Borrelli says. “Our collective investment will be put to good use, and I hope this experience inspires them to continue their philanthropic support of SUNY Oswego.”

The Class of 2012 had the most participants, beating out last year’s winner, the Class of 2009, and second-place finisher, the Class of 2013, which staged an exciting late-game comeback and nearly took the lead.

“March Matchness is one of our most exciting and entertaining initiatives,” says Joy Westerberg Knopp ’92, director of annual giving. “This year, Lou used social media to challenge young alumni to step up their game, and our Graduates Of the Last Decade responded in record numbers. We had fun while raising money to support a broad range of programs.”

March Matchness created a flurry of exchanges between classmates and between classes, as friends called, texted and posted their challenges to social media. The fundraising campaign stirred some participants to share their fondest memories of Oswego in an attempt to become the Player of the Week.

“We like to give back to the place that gave us so much,” says Vanessa Vair Reitz ’06, who serves as the GOLD Leadership Council president.

Not only did she meet her husband, Justin Reitz ’07, at Oswego, Vanessa says a connection they made at an alumni event assisted them in buying their home in Buffalo, N.Y., and helped Justin start a new career as a realtor. “We understand the benefit of connecting with our fellow alumni,” she says.

“Many of us young alumni aren’t at a point in life where we can give a substantial amount of money to Oswego,” she says. “But, we made a gift and, more importantly, I made an investment of my time for March Matchness. I’m proud that we were successful in reaching not only our initial goal, but the second challenge as well.”

—Margaret Spillett

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