We knew Ducks were compassionate.

We knew Ducks were generous.

But we have been blown away by the way Ducks have flocked together to support students in crisis over the past few months. Thank you.

In addition to the 1,000+ donors who supported our Students in Crisis crowdfunding campaign, more than 200 Ducks made gifts to the Students in Crisis Fund through other means. Today, we’re adding those gifts to our digital donor wall, bringing our fundraising total to nearly $600,000. We hope all of you will join us tomorrow for #DucksGive 2020—a day-long, digital celebration of you and your incredible contributions to our university.

We’ve also heard back from some of the students who have received support from the Students in Crisis Fund already. They asked us to pass on their sincere thanks for the profound impact your generosity is having in their day-to-day lives, which we’re sharing—in their own words—here:

• “This fund really helped me in more ways than just monetary. The peace of mind that came with not having to spend another day worrying about my financial status was something that I will be forever grateful for and reminds me of why I am so proud to be a Duck…It is so wonderful to be surrounded (virtually) by a community that cares so deeply for one another.”

• “The money I received from the crisis fund covered a month of my rent, my utilities, and got me groceries…Now that I can keep my focus on school and stay enrolled, I am able to stay on track with my degree plan and graduate on time. So thank you so incredibly much to all the donors that made this possible.”

• “I am so happy that I was able to get the $400 we needed to cover our rent! That means me and my sister have a home while I finish this semester of law school. My sister's unemployment still has not come in and we haven't gotten the stimulus check either. If it wasn't for this $400, I do not know what we would have done. Thank you very much!”

• “Being able to have the Student in Crisis funds allowed me the support I needed to be able to afford living expenses that went towards rent, food, and textbooks. I'm very happy with how smooth the application process went and how quickly it was for me to receive this support.”

• “[Thanks to the Students in Crisis Fund], my wife and I were able to pay the April rent for our current apartment. There was a time in March when I legitimately did not know if it would be worth it to come back to the UO in fall of 2020, but now I am feeling much better about my decision to stay.”

• “My part-time salary as a GE has been our only household income over the past couple months, so the funds I received from the Students in Crisis Fund have been extremely helpful and deeply appreciated by both me and my partner! The months ahead are unpredictable and worrisome as my partner is still unable to work, but we are grateful to have received very fast assistance when the crisis was just beginning to unfold. Thank you so much for your generosity - it means so much!"

Thanks again to everyone who has supported UO students by making a gift to the Students in Crisis Fund! I am thrilled that we have dedicated donors like you who are coming together as a Duck family to help students.

As the Dean of Students, I get to see your generosity’s impact on UO students who are struggling on a daily basis. They are extremely grateful. “Thank you so much for your help during this time,” writes one student who recently received emergency funds. “This means the world to me. I will be sure to donate to this fund after I graduate to pass it on to future situations where people will need help. I really appreciate this.”

I have been so inspired by the way the Duck family has mobilized to meet student needs as a result of the current crisis—what a ray of hope in such a challenging time! Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Kris Winter

Associate Vice President and Dean of Students

University of Oregon

Wow! The Duck community continues to blow us away with its generosity! We have updated our participation goal to 1000 donors to reflect the fact that the number of students applying for emergency assistance has grown by more than 1000 percent since we began this campaign.

Wow!

We knew that Ducks support each other, but the response to our Students in Crisis fund is just incredible. We hit our initial participation goal of 100 donors in just one hour! From the office of the Dean of Students, we are so grateful for your support. This will have a meaningful impact on our UO students.

Thank you so much for your gift and for helping us take care of the Flock!

Kris Winter

Associate Vice President and Dean of Students

University of Oregon