Cadets Lead ROTC to Third Place in March Gladness campaign
Jun 2, 2020
Drew Mack did not know until after 9 p.m. on the second day of the two-day March Gladness fundraising campaign that the ROTC Cadet Fund had nailed a third-place finish. The numbers kept rising during the afternoon of March 4, and at 9 p.m., they were still making calls to alumni, friends and family, who graciously opened their wallets.
“We didn’t hit our success until the last hours when we went to third place,” said Mack, a senior psychology major who stepped up to manage the campaign with Elissa McNicholas, a junior nursing major. “I was calling people I don’t even know that well.”
The extra effort paid off. In the end they tallied up 413 donors and nearly $10,000. But placing third meant they also earned a $5,000 bonus for a total of $14,607 in support of Xavier cadets.
Considering this was only their second year participating in the annual March Gladness campaign supporting Xavier’s Annual Fund, Mack was excited to do so well among the nearly 40 different groups on campus all competing for the bonus funds for those finishing in the top five.
But for the cadets, the reward was more than just the dollars. It was about recognition for a program that can get overlooked on Xavier’s growing campus.
“That was the message we tried to get across,” Mack said. “The whole point of the program is to allow young men and women who will be future officers in the Army the opportunity to grow in leadership and communications skills, and people were able to see that.”
The money raised in the campaign benefits the ROTC Cadet Fund, which subsidizes the cost of special programs for cadets including “staff ride” trips to Gettysburg and Washington, D.C., Fort Knox training exercises, the annual Military Ball, and mentoring programs with Xavier’s Student Veterans Center. The extra funds mean that next year’s cadet corps can spend more time training and studying and less time fundraising, which takes place year-round.
Mack said the ability to leave the program in a better position than when he started is the best reward for him. For McNicholas, it’s knowing they’ll be in better shape for next year’s events.
“It’s nice to know we’ll have a good cushion to start out with and support our students the best way we can,” she said.
