“We are so grateful to the class of 1969 for their generosity and extraordinary commitment to serving the Howard community,” says Sharon Strange Lewis, director of alumni relations. “Thank you to the planning committee for their vision and for working diligently to achieve this ambitious fundraising goal. As a result of their service, a new bar for other graduating classes and future alumni to follow has been set.”

The effort began five years ago when the class of 1969 set out to do something special to recognize their 50th year. Deciding to take up the task of raising one million dollars in the five years leading up to their golden reunion, the class formed a planning committee and went to work. For more than three years, the committee worked to find their former classmates, and ask them each to contribute to the fund and encourage them to continue giving to the university. Using their own personal networks and with the help of the Office of Development and Alumni Relations, a total of 298 members from the class of 1969 successfully exceeded their million-dollar goal.

“When we formed the committee, we began talking with financial planners and with President Frederick who was passionate about making sure Howard supported the effort and committed university resources to work with us. Alumni affairs was a tremendous support, providing us with contact information, monitoring contributions along the way, and reporting on where we stood,” says Edith Gee Jones, class of 1969 reunion chair. “When we rolled out the final figure, it really boosted our excitement.”

Approximately 130 alumni from the class of 1969, attended the Howard University 50^th Class Reunion celebration in May. Many members were the first African-Americans to take corporate positions. Both then and now, Howard provides African-American students with access to opportunities that they may not have otherwise had. It is in this acknowledgement of the role that Howard and other HBCUs have in addressing educational gaps for African-American students that the class of 1969 dedicated themselves to their million-dollar fundraising goal and it does not stop there.

“Because of the lack of support outside of our HBCUs, we have to provide our support from within,” says Everod Coleman, DMD, class of 1969 reunion co-chair. “I’ve been giving to Howard for a long time and I’ve learned that the number of alumni who give to the university makes a big difference, in terms of being able to secure funds from other sources. Even a small amount makes a difference when we can show support from a large base of alumni. Our hope is that our efforts will serve as a model for other classes and we’re already working with the class of 1974 to beat our record.”

The class of 1969 created a new model of fundraising that has other reunion classes looking at how with more time, coordination, and support they can create a tremendous amount of opportunity for future students.

“The 50^th Class Legacy Fund represents an additional source of scholarship opportunity for our students,” says David Bennett, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations. “This fund contributes to the investment assets of the university and it will be used to award students with a demonstrated financial need and merit. The legacy fund can be considered a pilot test and we are taking on a 50^th year class reunion campaign to keep the momentum and support for these efforts going. This class has set the bar very high for the future.”

In addition to Jones and Coleman, the planning committee also includes: Hon. Alice Dear and Sanford Cloud, Esq. who served as honorary chairs; committee members Sandi Brown and Marian Johnson-Thompson, Ph.D., a member of the Howard University Board of Trustees; and Phoebe Boykins Dixon, who served as the reunion journalist.

For more information about giving to Howard University, visit https://giving.howard.edu/.