Connect Goshen Day
Party like a Maple Leaf!
April 16, 2024
#EverGoshen
Thank you to all our alumni, students, and employees, friends and families for participating in Connect Goshen Day! We had record breaking numbers of engagement, participation and gifts this year.
With an on campus festival and 11 Alumni and Friends’ gatherings across the country, hundreds gathered to celebrate all things Goshen!
Thanks to your incredible support, we unlocked $200,000 by hitting 500 gifts, plus $50,000 for reaching 100 family gifts and another $10,000 for topping 530 gifts in the President’s Surprise Challenge! Check out the final results below.
While Connect Goshen Day might be over for this year, it’s never to late (or early) to help support the current and next generation of Maple Leafs with a gift.
Final Numbers!
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610Total Number of Gifts
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54Shelter Showdown VotesHowell House snagged the top spot, with Kenwood House finishing in second and Yoder Hall in third.
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31Reunion Rally Votes1969 swooped in for the win!
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$413,213Total Amount of Gifts Given
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62Squirrels named
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105Campus Clash Entries!Employees reigned supreme with a whopping 158 gifts!
Thank you to our Lead Donors!
This group of donors provided advance gifts to help unlock the challenges.
| Jeff (’87) and Margaret (’87) Aeschliman Conrad Clemens (’85) and Andrea Gerlak Don (’61) and Marie (’81) Clemens Roseyn Devlin (’64) Cal and Sharon Graber Ron (’69) and Linda (’90) Gunden Lotus (’61) and Judy (’62) Hershberger Paul (’81) and Lorie (’80) Hershberger Julie Hertzler (’91) Gerry (’72) and Linda (’74) Horst Leah (’17) and Chandler (’18) Ingle Deb (’86) and Bob Kauffman LaDene King (’94) and Gretchen Nyce (’93) Beth Landis and Jack Swaim Kendel (’86) and Lori (’87) Martin Jason and Heather McNeal Miller Poultry Family |
Anita Miller (’90) and Steve Stutzman Bart Miller (’90) and Margaret Jeschke (’89) Bill (’55) and Phyllis (’55) Miller Byron (’76) and Ellen (’73) Miller Dan (’61) and Mary Miller Eric (’92) and Jodi (’93) Miller Mary Ann Miller Maynard (’90) and Emily (’95) Miller Dan Nussbaum (’94) and Shanti DeFehr (’94) Angel (’58) and Lora (’59) Miranda Lew Naylor and Belle Duerksen Jeremy Pope (’11) and Dorina Oliveira-Pope Lynn and Kathleen Roth Philip (’85) and Karen (’87) Rush Jerry (’73) and Kathy (’75) Short Nat (’18) and Lana (’18) Smucker Glenn Weaver (’58) Ed Yoder (’58) |
The Elwood (’50) and Joyce (’51) Graber Family (31 alumni)
Ed and Jean Hollenberg Family Russel and Marjorie Liechty Family Longacre & Reedy Families Descendents of Walter E Yoder (’33), children and grandchildren of Michael (’73) & Mary (’75) Lehman Yoder |
NEW! Name-a-Squirrel
Introducing a nutty new way to leave your mark on campus! With a gift of just $18.94 (representing the year GC was founded), you can give a furry friend a hilarious new identity and score an “official certificate” with the name of your choice.
Whether you want to name them after your favorite professor or your childhood pet, it’s all in good fun! Let’s make campus a little more squirrel-tastic and support Goshen College in the silliest way possible.
Connect Goshen Day Challenges & Competitions
Join us in our exciting challenges and competitions designed to maximize impact and celebrate our community’s generosity! We’re measuring many of these challenges by the number of gifts received, emphasizing the collective effort of our community rather than the size of individual donations.
Vote for your favorite challenge or competition by making multiple donations—each gift counts as a vote! Show your support and help your team win on Connect Goshen Day!
Challenges:
| Maple Leaf Lead Challenge | This lead challenge aims to unlock significant funds for the GC Fund. By reaching specific gift milestones, such as 100 gifts per step, we unlock substantial lead challenge gifts totaling $200,000! Participate by making a gift towards this challenge and help us reach our goal. |
| Family Challenge | Attention all proud parents, adoring grandparents, and cherished family members of GC students, past and present! Join us in an exhilarating lead challenge crafted exclusively for Maple Leaf families. With every 20 gifts, we unlock a whopping $10,000 gift, leading us to a grand total of $50,000! Let’s embrace the spirit of #EverGoshen as a family and watch as our collective efforts bring us closer to success. |
Competitions:
| Reunion Rally | Calling all alumni! Show some class spirit by joining our homecoming competition. If your class year ends in a 4 or 9, this challenge is for you. Make your mark by designating your donation accordingly. The class that flexes the most giving muscle with the number of gifts given, no matter the donation size, will be crowned champions on social media and celebrated in style at Homecoming in October with Rise & Roll donuts that are sprinkled with victory and glazed with glory! |
| Shelter Showdown | Did you live it up in campus housing or carve your own path as an off-campus explorer? Whether dorms were your jam or you conquered the commuter life, show your pride by voting with your donation. Let’s settle this once and for all (or at least for this year) – which living setup reigns supreme? The group that rallies the most gifts wins ultimate bragging rights for the year! |
| Campus Clash: The GC Generosity Showdown of 2024 | Picture this: a whole lot of campus camaraderie as frosh, sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students, and employees square off in the ultimate giving showdown! Every gift counts, so vote as many times as you wish for your team, and see who gets first chance to scramble under the pinata during the CGD Festival! |
Join us at one of our alumni & friends events celebrating Connect Goshen Day!
Please join us on Tuesday, April 16 for informal, drop-in events where you can enjoy food, drinks, and conversation with other GC alumni, families and friends. We will have some GC info, a fun GC trivia quiz and door prizes to share with you. We look forward to meeting many new and old friends. Be sure to wear purple!
| Baltimore, MD | Nepenthe Brewing Company from 6-8 pm. RSVP here |
| Chicago, IL | Time Out Market from 5:30-7:30 pm. RSVP here |
| Goshen, IN | Goshen Brewing Company from 6 to 8 pm. |
| Goshen, IN | Constant Spring, starting at 8:30 pm. This will be an “Everything Goshen College” themed trivia night. Bring your team and flex your GC knowledge. |
| Harrisonburg, VA | Pale Fire Brewing Co. from 6-8 pm. RSVP here |
| Indianapolis, IN | Half Liter BBQ from 6:30-8:30 pm. RSVP here |
| Mt. Rainier, MD | Pennyroyal Station from 6-8 pm. RSVP here |
| Nashville, TN | Edley’s BBQ 12 South from 6:30-8:30 pm. RSVP here |
| Archbold, OH | Downtown Restaurant (301 N Defiance Street) from 6 to 8 pm. (No RSVP necessary) |
Interested in hosting your own Connect Goshen Day alumni & friends event?
Reach out to Dan Koop Liechty
The GC Fund - 101
The GC Fund is a vital source of support that fuels every aspect of campus life, from scholarships and financial aid to faculty development and campus improvements. It provides essential resources that enable us to offer transformative education experiences and create a vibrant learning community for our students.
There are tons of ways to jump in on Connect Goshen Day : you can donate multiple times, all day long; rally your friends and family to donate, spread the word on social media and keep up with all the action by following our challenges and competitions right here on this page. You can also tune in live to The Globe or on social media to catch updates.
Engage with us through social media! Be sure to tag us (@GoshenCollege) when you share your squirrel name or share your reason for giving. You can also join in by using or following #CGD2024 and #EverGoshen.
Connect with GC alumni & friends at Connect Goshen Day events local to you! Check the list to see if an event is happening near you, or choose to host your own Connect Goshen Day alumni & friends event.
If you are able, we invite you to join us at our on-campus festival between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Connect Goshen Day! Jam out to music, indulge in mouthwatering food, and dive into a sea of fun activities at the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center.