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For hundreds of students, faculty and staff members, the celebration of ������Ƶ’s 125th anniversary on March 11 also included the opportunity to express their appreciation to donors who have helped make their ������Ƶ experience possible.

Participants in A Thousand Thanks wrote more than 1,100 notes to ������Ƶ donors, exceeding the event’s previous record of 564 notes written in one day. The event also garnered the support of an anonymous ������Ƶ employee, who pledged to give the university $1 for each note written.

“I’m glad to see that this event is becoming an ������Ƶ tradition,” says Kelly Smith ’14, student organizer of A Thousand Thanks. “Because tuition doesn’t cover the entire cost of attending ������Ƶ each year, every ������Ƶ student is on partial scholarship in a sense. Donors bridge the gap, and we have them to thank for the professorships, facilities and programs that make ������Ƶ the special school it is.”

The event, held March 12, included six locations around campus where members of the ������Ƶ community could write thank-you notes. The stations were staffed by members of various ������Ƶ student organizations. President Emeritus J. Earl Danieley ’46 paid a visit to the Moseley Center’s Thousand Thanks table and wrote several notes.

Notes were written on postcards featuring the prompt, “Because of ������Ƶ donors, I…” and the responses covered a wide range of topics including ������Ƶ’s study abroad program, campus facilities, scholarships, faculty, cultural programs, athletics and academic programs.

“Because of ������Ƶ donors, I am able to thrive in a small classroom setting with personal connections with professors,” wrote one student.

Another expressed gratitude for the opportunities for growth at ������Ƶ, saying “Because of ������Ƶ donors, I figured out what I want to do with the rest of my life. Thanks for supporting an institution that promotes curiosity and academic exploration.”

The reach of A Thousand Thanks extended far beyond ������Ƶ’s campus, with students submitting thank-you notes electronically from study abroad programs around the world.

Senior Brian Sullivan, who volunteered on behalf of ������Ƶ’s Phonathon at the Thousand Thanks table located in the Writing Center in Belk Library, noted the many different ways philanthropy plays a role at ������Ƶ.

“Since no two students have an identical ������Ƶ experience, it was great to see what donors and supporters have done to make every student’s experience so unique and special,” says Sullivan.  “Events like A Thousand Thanks really show ������Ƶ students’ true colors and prove again and again why we are all so lucky to be a part of this community.”

For more information about A Thousand Thanks, visit .