Today is Tuesday, December 1, which means it is #GivingTuesday! During Giving Tuesday, generous donors from around the world will make gifts to organizations and causes that are meaningful to them. During this Giving Tuesday, the students of Bowling Green State University hope you will be thinking of them and make a gift to the Student Emergency Fund. This fund has been utilized now more than ever before and the financial need students have has never been greater.

Many of you have made a gift to the Student Emergency Fund since our initial call for support in mid-March, because of you, more than 900 students were able to continue their education at BGSU. Throughout the fall semester, students have continued to apply for financial assistance through the Student Emergency Fund to help them pay for rent, utilities, internet access for remote learning and even purchase groceries. These applications for help show us that our students are continuing to experience financial crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. If you are able at this time to make a second gift to help BGSU students in need, it would mean the world to them.

To those of you who have made a gift to one of our other priority funds, Bridge to BG, the Diversity and Belonging Initiatives Fund or the Firelands Emergency Aid for Students please know your gifts are also being utilized during these difficult times. Please consider making a second gift to the Student Emergency Fund in honor of Giving Tuesday. The students in need at BGSU appreciate you! 

Last week, thanks to the generosity of our Falcon Family, donors to BGSU One Day: Homecoming Edition contributed to record-breaking support for BGSU’s students. Through nearly 1,500 gifts, Falcons from all 50 states and throughout the world gave to every area of campus reaching an astounding $892,858 raised.

The Diversity and Belonging Initiatives Fund, Bridge to BG Scholarship Fund, Firelands Emergency Aid for Students Fund and the Student Emergency Fund each received more support during BGSU One Day: Homecoming Edition than in any of our previous dedicated days of giving.

• Diversity and Belonging Initiatives Fund - $5,525.00
• Bridge to BG Scholarship Fund - $10,650.00
• Firelands Emergency Aid for Students - $1,275.00
• Student Emergency Fund - $17,010.00

We are so proud to announce that with the support of our donors on BGSU One Day: Homecoming Edition, we have surpassed $200,000 raised for the Student Emergency Fund. Since March, this fund has become a lifeline for our students and has assisted 853 students to keep them on track to graduate.  

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to these ever-important funds. As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, need for these funds continues. Help a student stay on track to graduate by making a gift today. The students of Bowling Green State University are forever grateful for your generosity.

We are so excited that today is the day we welcome our students back to campus in Bowling Green and Huron. Part of the reason we can do that is because of you! Through your support of the Student Emergency Fund, many of our students are able to return to their classes today. Nearly $250,000 in emergency aid has been awarded to 691 students, helping them pay for food, cover their rent and maintain internet access to continue on the path to graduation.

Additionally, the Bridge to BG Scholarship Fund has been a lifeline for students to assist with tuition costs. Since May, the Bridge to BG scholarship has raised nearly $40,000 and will help students in need of financial gap support to continue their education at BGSU. As students begin Fall Semester, we wanted to take this moment to celebrate their return to campus and thank you for your part in making their dreams a reality.  

As we welcome students back, we continue to consider the ways that ensure all of our students feel as though they truly belong. Alongside the COVID-19 crisis, racial inequities in our country have impacted many people, including students on our campus. BGSU’s Division of Diversity and Belonging, established in 2019, promotes equity and inclusion for all members of the BGSU community through culturally competent education, support and celebration. The Diversity and Belonging Initiatives Fund also on the Falcon Strong: Support our Students fundraising page, allows for contributions to be made to the ever important work of this division.

To learn more about the work of the Division of Diversity and Belonging, check out their comprehensive strategic plan and get to know Jennifer McCary the division’s chief diversity and belonging officer.

Thank you for your continued support.

The generous $10,000 match to the Student Emergency Fund by Dean Ray Braun '80 and Dr. Theresa Popp Braun '80, '85', '16 has successfully been met!

$3,800 in new commitments is still needed to match Dr. Theresa Popp Braun’s $5,000 challenge to donors to support the Firelands Emergency Aid for Students Fund, in remembrance of the pride and passion George Mylander ’58, ’70, ’03 (Hon.) had for Firelands students, public education and the local community by making a gift to the Firelands.

Since March 18, $239,117.98 has been awarded to students facing unforeseen financial challenges due to COVID-19, thanks to the generous supporters of the Student Emergency Fund and the Firelands Emergency Aid for Students Fund. To date, 667 students have received emergency aid for rent, food or to maintain internet access for their academic courses. Thank you for your generous support of these efforts!

Although the CARES Act provides funding to many BGSU students to address these needs, some do not qualify for CARES Act funds and will rely on emergency support contributions from donors to achieve their goals of a college education. 

As summer session begins, the need for these student financial challenges continues.  Currently more than 130 students who are not eligible to receive CARES Act funding are also not able to receive support from the Student Emergency Fund because all contributions have been distributed.  Please consider making an additional gift, or encouraging support from your Falcon network to help our students stay on track to graduate.

Thank you for your consideration of a contribution to support BGSU students in need.

Thanks to the generosity of BGSU College of Business Dean Ray Braun '80 and Dr. Theresa Popp Braun '80, '85, '16, matching gift opportunities are available to help our students when they need it most! They have pledged a dollar-for-dollar match of all gifts up to $10,000 for the Student Emergency Fund and up to $5,000 for the Firelands Student Emergency Fund. Check out the fundraising page for more details.

On behalf of more than 500 BGSU students who have benefited from the Student Emergency Fund, thank you for your generosity. 

In just over one month, Falcon supporters have added more than $125,000 to the fund, to help our students pay their rent, buy food, or maintain internet access to stay on track to graduate. 

To date, more than $200,000 has been distributed to BGSU students, and requests for assistance continue.

Please read more about the impact you’ve made here. 

Thank you, #FalconFamily!

Since March, more than 820 students have submitted applications to receive financial assistance from the Student Emergency Fund. In 2019, fewer than 20 applications were submitted all year. This difference demonstrates the unexpected hardships our students are facing in the current crisis posed by COVID-19. Most of these applications have come from students seeking help to pay for rent and food and to maintain internet access for online learning.

Thanks to the generous donors of the Student Emergency Fund prior to the COVID-19 crisis and the outpouring of support during the past few weeks, BGSU has provided more than $130,000 in support to students in need.

We expect that many more students will be request help from the Student Emergency Fund in the weeks and months to come. Please continue to share our efforts to support fellow Falcons in need during this difficult time, so we can help keep every student on track to graduate.

Thank you for your generous support to Emergency Relief for our Falcon Family! Your contributions to support our students are making a positive impact on the lives of BGSU students who are experiencing unexpected financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them continue their education and stay on track to graduate.  

The Office of the Dean of Students is working diligently to receive, review and finalize disbursements from the Student Emergency Fund. Applications from students in need are coming in daily, at an unprecedented rate, and we anticipate many more as the financial impact of this health crisis continues to evolve.

During this time away from campus, we ask you to share words of encouragement, tips on working from home or a favorite BGSU memory using the hashtag #FalconFamily. These messages can be viewed on the Emergency Relief for our Falcon Family fundraising webpage, and social media.

Our students need our support now more than ever. Let’s make sure they know how much we care!