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One Day for Western is an opportunity for you to show your support and commitment to the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts. Your gifts will help provide critical funding to support the academic units within the Belcher College: the School of Art and Design, School of Music, and School of Stage and Screen, and to set the stage for a rich and dynamic experience for future artists.
Last year, we raised nearly $10,000 through 34 donors... let's help even more Catamounts this year!
Join us on One Day for Western and make a direct impact on our students and their experience at WCU. Our goal is for 45 donors to make a gift on April 3 - but we can only get there with your help.
The results are in, Catamounts: we surpassed last year's totals! Your generosity will help make one day possible for so many students at Western.
We are blown away by your response and generosity (again) this year during One Day for Western! And you helped us Fill the Western Sky by turning the map purple: we secured gifts from 49 of 50 states!
Check out some highlights of our results below and visit oneday.wcu.edu for even more information about the impact of your giving. Go Cats!

Hey, Catamounts! You may have received an email from GiveCampus this morning that re-sent our "Wave the royal banner high" post featuring our Pride of the Mountains Marching Band and asking you to participate in One Day for Western. Our partners at GiveCampus let us know this was just a bug in the system that affected a few campaigns that have already ended, so no cause for alarm. We received your gift and appreciate your generosity! Our team is still working hard to share finalized totals in the coming days, so we'll provide a (real) update soon.
In the interim, we hope you're having a great week and send our gratitude to members of Catamount nation far and wide!
Gratefully,

Rebekah B. Cheney
Director of Annual Giving
312 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
What a day (and then some), Catamounts! Thank you to every single person who helped make one day possible for our students. Whether you made a gift, shared our message, cheered us on, or did all three - your contributions matter and impacted our success this year.
We will be finalizing our totals in the coming days and are excited to report more on the impact of your generosity. Until then, please know that we are incredibly grateful for your support!
Go Cats!
Warmly,

Rebekah B. Cheney
Director of Annual Giving
318 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
You are still showing up, Catamounts!
With just a few hours left, we are nearly 90% to our goal. We are so close, and your advocacy is making a huge difference.
We are also making great progress on turning the map purple to Fill the Western Sky! We still are looking for gifts from:
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Minnesota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Vermont
Do you know someone in any of these states? Consider asking them to make a gift before 5 p.m. to help us Fill the Western Sky.
Your generosity and advocacy are helping make one day possible. We're almost to the finish line... GO CATS!
318 days ago by Rebekah CheneyYesterday's special live edition of Western Wednesday focused on One Day for Western! Here's a clip of three current students who talk about their hopes for the future.
If you didn't catch our special LIVE Western Wednesday podcast, you can rewatch the whole show here! James, Ben and Stacey chat with students, donors, and staff about programs and dreams that are worth investing in.
318 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
Catamounts: there's still time to make one day possible. We're still reaching for the biggest giving day goal we've ever aimed for, and we know we can accomplish it with your help! Beyond making a gift, the best way you can help is to share our message with your networks and remind your fellow Catamounts to give and share, too! We'll keep counting until 5 p.m. Thursday, so keep advocating for our incredible programs and students. GO CATS!
319 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
Hear directly from students, faculty and staff about One Day for Western and why it matters during this special broadcast. Watch the live podcast here!
319 days ago by Rebekah Cheney
With about nine hours left, we are over 40% to our goal. Let's keep going, Catamount nation!
We still want to turn the map purple and Fill the Western Sky! If you know Catamounts in the following states, give them a shout:
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- North Dakota
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
If you saw the One Day for Western video, you saw Yasmin talking about her 'one day' is to amplify the voices of underrepresented individuals across all theatre spaces!

Check out some photos from our student event: One Day of Thankfulness... you may even receive a handwritten note from a student in the coming weeks!




We're 40% to our donor goal... let's keep it up! GO CATS!
319 days ago by Rebekah CheneyCatamount nation, this is what happens when we come together...
Last year, One Day for Western donors supported countless projects and programs to make one day possible for Catamounts. Remember how the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band was preparing to travel to Dublin, Ireland for their first international trip? One Day for Western donors played a critical role in these students' experience.
What cause (or causes) will you support this year as we work to fill the Western sky? Help us turn the map purple by encouraging donors from every state to support WCU today.
Video courtsey of Dean George H. Brown; Kilkenny Castle, March 14, 2024.

The David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts is profoundly grateful to everyone for their support of our students, faculty, and programs during last year's One Day for Western efforts!
In 2023, you invested over $52,000 in our college, supporting The Pride of the Mountains first international trip to Ireland to march in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin and the Fund for Building and Sustaining Equity in Collections for the WCU Fine Art Museum at Bardo Arts Center. Additionally, the Belcher College used ODFW as the kickoff for our 2022-23 Friends of the Arts Membership Drive.
The Friends of the Arts is a tremendous affinity group dedicated to supporting the Academic and Artist Mission of the Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts by raising funds for student scholarships, supporting outstanding artistic programming, and helping to host our many guest artists that visit throughout the year. By the end of the membership drive, a total of $90,636 was raised with almost $10,000 being directly raised during One Day for Western. These funds support significant student engagement in the Belcher College, like Design for Health, a multidisciplinary initiative addressing health issues related to the built environment and focused on the older population living in poverty in Appalachia, and Pride Pots, a community building art experience using ceramics as a catalyst for dialogue on LGBTQ+ issues.
Funds were also raised for the WCU Fine Art Museum Fund for Building and Sustaining Equity in Collections. Museums play an important role in determining what our society remembers, whose stories are told, and what objects are deemed worthy of consideration. Donors to this fund amplify the voices of historically marginalized artists and ensure that their stories are shared across our region.
Finally, the Baddest Band in the Land traveled to Dublin, Ireland in March 2024 thanks to the generosity of our supporters, who donated more than $42,500 during One Day for Western in 2023. This international trip was, for so many of the hundreds of WCU students traveling, their first study-abroad experience.
For all your support and generosity, all of us in the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts thank you.
320 days ago by Rebekah CheneyOne Day for Western exists because of our AMAZING students... join the fun by making your gift or sharing on social media today!
320 days ago by Rebekah CheneyCatamounts, we want to turn the map purple on April 3. We need at least one donor from all 50 states to fill the Western sky, so reach out to Catamounts (and friends of Catamount nation) far and wide! After all, what's more beautiful than a sky full of purple?

States we've already received gifts from are North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Indiana, Colorado, and Hawaii. Only 38 to go!

Friends of the Arts (FOA) members support students - our next generation of artists - in the David Orr Belcher College of Fine and Performing Arts and through the performances and exhibitions presented in the Bardo Arts Center. As these aspiring artists explore their disciplines, their endeavors not only enrich their academic journey, but also contribute to the flourishing cultural mosaic of our regional home.
The generosity from the members of the FOA has enabled the Belcher College to create unique learning opportunities that allow these students to develop their talents and artistic skills by making art, music, theatre, film, and dance from their first day on campus.
During this year's One Day for Western efforts, we ask you to continue making an impact on the lives of our students by renewing or beginning your membership in the Friends of the Arts for the 2024-25 academic year. You can find out more about the Friends of the Arts, including the benefits of membership, by visiting foa.wcu.edu.
321 days ago by Rebekah Cheney🎁Donors
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