PRINCESS ANNE, Md.—The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Department of Athletics has launched a new fundraising campaign, ‘Score for the Shore,’ which looks to enhance the digital signage for the department. It hopes to covers costs for new scoreboards for baseball and softball, while looking at enhancing the game-day experience for men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball and indoor and outdoor track & field with new digital scorer’s tables and scoreboard add-ons, including graphic displays.
The new campaign will solicit several corporate and private donations, but will also be online through the University’s online giving system, GiveCorps. The same system recently helped UMES conclude a very successful campaign entitled, ‘Deuces.’
The ‘Deuces’ campaign helped UMES celebrate 22 championships in 22 years (1992-2014). The campaign had a very modest goal, to raise 5,000.00, all online, to match a grant of the same amount and fully endow the fund that the University’s Office of Institutional Advancement successfully obtained for Athletics. The fund can then be used, at the discretion of the Director of Athletics, to pay for athletic needs.
The campaign received many donations, including one large one from UMES Hall of Famer Mack Alston. Sadly, Mr. Alston passed shortly after giving, but it was his contribution that put the project over the top, helping to exceed the goal by more than $1,200.00.
UMES ended that campaign Dec. 31, 2014, having already claimed a 23rd championship when the men’s cross-country team won the MEAC Championship in the fall and increased their total now to 24 with women’s bowling capturing a MEAC crown last March.
The new campaign’s goal of $100,000 is a bit loftier and will rely on outside gifts as well as alumni contributions.
“This campaign will help take care of some serious needs we have in terms of our facilities and our gender equity needs,” said Director of Athletics Keith Davidson. “We are so grateful to those who donated to our previous campaign, and wanted to make sure that as we undertake this new goal, we still have an outlet for anyone to make a contribution, no matter how small or large it may be. This great online tool affords us that option. I hope everyone will help us in supporting, ‘Score for the Shore.’”
Friends, fans, alumni and students can go online to:
www.umeshawks.com/support where they can select the Score for the Shore option.
There, a donation can be made through the website to help support UMES Athletics and fund the drive to enhance their digital needs.
“As our programs grow and the success continues, it is these kinds of simple, yet costly, things that really enhance our department. They offer the fans a better experience and more information and allow us to showcase our programs and student-athletes. It also helps in recruiting as facilities are always a concern of any college bound student-athlete,” added Davidson.
Last season, UMES has adopted the motto of Fly Higher, Prey Harder, Squawk Louder. All three directly correspond to the ideals of scholarship (flying higher in the classroom), sportsmanship (preying on their opponents, as a hawk is a bird of prey) and citizenship (squawking louder by showing their support and having the community ‘squawk’ their praises), which make up the core values of the department of athletics.
“This is a great opportunity to “squawk louder,” said Davidson. “Donating means you are letting people know that you support us and that you are helping us to continue to win on the field of play and in the classroom.”
The campaign starts now and will be ongoing until the funds are raised to complete all the projects.
UMES Athletics
