Joshua Boots, assistant vice chancellor of development and alumni engagement at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, announced today that the UW-Platteville Foundation has received a $15,000 matching gift donation from an anonymous couple. This gift will match donations made to UW-Platteville’s $100,000 initiative in support of the Pioneers Helping Pioneers fund.
Created in 2019, Pioneers Helping Pioneers provides emergency financial support to students with unexpected expenses, outside of tuition. Since leaving campus to begin alternative delivery methods in mid-March due to COVID-19, more than 1,100 students have applied for support through the fund. The top four requests the fund has assisted with are housing, transportation, utilities and food.
“During these extraordinary times, it takes extraordinary efforts to help support our students, and I am proud of how our alumni and friends have risen to the occasion,” Chancellor Dennis J. Shields said. “I thank all those who have provided assistance and encourage others to help, especially in light of this generous matching gift opportunity. It's reasons like this that I say every day is a great day to be a Pioneer!"
Last month, the university set a $100,000 donation goal for the fund. Nearly 250 donors have contributed.
“Not only is this match inspiring, it will also make a tremendous difference to our students in need,” said Boots. “This couple exemplifies what it means to be a Pioneer. We are grateful for their generosity and outpouring of support for UW-Platteville.”
To donate to the Pioneers Helping Pioneers fund, visit www.uwplatt.edu/give.