The annual tradition of Stockton’s biggest fundraiser, Ospreys Give, ran from October 8 to October 9, bringing even more hype, excitement, and generosity than last year’s event.

On October 8, President Joe Bertolino kicked off the fundraiser in the Event Room with games, free food, music, and fun for attendees. In one game, students could play alone or pair up with a friend and compete for money to donate to a Stockton Foundation Scholarship or program. The Stockton Cheer Team and Dance Team performed at the event, followed by President Joe himself making a speech to introduce and begin Ospreys Give. Many important donors—such as Karen Alton, the granddaughter of one of Stockton’s founders, Elizabeth Alton—were in attendance and familiar faces like Dan Nugent, the Vice President of University Advancement and Executive Director of the Stockton University Foundation, were there to enjoy the festivities.

In the Campus Center Grand Hallway, a punch-out board and a game wheel were set up for students to win prizes and donate money. Attendees could win a prize from the board by donating a minimum of $5 to a program of their choice, while at the prize wheel, students answered trivia questions about Stockton to determine how much of Bertolino’s donation money would go to a program or organization of their choice.

The staff were giving students the correct answers and nudging the board to the $100 slot so President Joe could donate as much money as possible to academic programs, athletic teams, student clubs, and more. Outside at the ‘S’ logo on the front lawn of the Campus Center, donors’ names were posted for everyone to see what generous people have contributed to Stockton’s causes. President Joe rode around campus in a Talon Taxi cart, answering trivia questions to give $5 to the winner’s preferred Stockton cause. A Wall of Gratitude was posted for students to write what they were grateful for, which ranged from faith, to people, to organizations, and to opportunities they received from Stockton.

On October 9, the Closing Ceremony marked the end of the 24-hour-long event, concluding with an inspiring speech and surprising announcements from Bertolino, accompanied by the school’s beloved mascot, Talon the Osprey. Bertolino announced that, at the time, the school had nearly reached their goal of 13,000 donors, falling short by only 100 donors. However, the President stated he was “confident we’ll get there” thanks to the massive turnout of this year’s event.

He announced that last year, the school was shy of $447,000 in reaching the goal. In speaking to Talon, Bertolino stated, “I think we should try to raise $500,000.” He revealed, to everyone’s excitement, that the school had surpassed the goal and raised $525,000 in this year’s Ospreys Give. As always, he finished with the chant of “Soar Higher, Go Ospreys!”

Zach Veneziano, Associate Director of Alumni Engagement, volunteered at the punch-out wall to engage alumni, faculty, and staff. “It’s a fun, different way for people to make a donation and an impact, and still get something in return,” Veneziano stated. “The day started off a little gray, a little rainy, but now the sun is shining. We have a lot of people out and about. The kickoff was a huge success and we had a [great] turnout in the Event Room.”

“[I’m] really excited about this year’s Ospreys Give,” said President Bertolino. “Our turnout is higher than last year and we beat our goal; I expect that it will continue to grow. Every dollar goes to support students through scholarships, clubs, organizations, or programs. My hope is that we’ll keep raising this up so that in the next couple of years, I hope to be standing here and saying that we’ve raised a million dollars! That’s the goal!”