UIW students, faculty and staff came together Oct. 1-5 to volunteer for the annual UIW Fall Phonathon.

For more than 20 years, students have benefited from alumni donations during Phonathon, an annual UIW event held to raise funds for student scholarships, technology upgrades and student activities. Student callers contact alumni from a call center set up in the Dr. Burton E. Grossman International Conference Center and update UIW graduates on the latest campus news and events.

During the fall 2011 Phonathon, UIW raised more than $43,000 in pledges from more than 600 alumni.

“This is an important event because the largest portion of the Annual Fund is distributed to scholarships,” said Patrick Greener, coordinator of the Phonathon. “The Phonathon helps alumni realize that scholarship money was made available to them, and now they are in a capacity to return the favor.”

Current UIW students getting involved in the Phonathon is vital to the success of the event as it represents a fusion between the present, past, and future.

“In the present UIW students are ambassadors and provide a current view of the caliber of our underclassmen while learning valuable job skills,” Greener said. “The past is represented by our alumni who attended UIW with similar dreams and aspirations and can relate to students questions regarding preparations for crossing over into the professional community. The future is represented by the funds raised that will help the next avalanche of students attending UIW next year.”

Student participation in the Phonathon also represents the UIW mission statement established 103 years ago by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word.

If we missed you during Phonathon, it’s not too late to make your gift. Call (210) 829-6013 or give online at www.uiw.edu/give.