Most Impactful Fundraiser/Event:
Casino Night, Blue Tiger Athletics Club
Featuring a silent and live auction, dinner, dancing, cocktails, food, and Vegas-style games, the Blue Tiger Athletic Club’s Casino Night will make everyone feel like a winner.
Held annually in August, Casino Night is one of the largest fundraising events held at Lincoln University. With space for upwards of 400 attendees, Casino Night creates a unique and fun experience. Giving people the opportunity to support the Blue Tiger Athletics Club in person is the key to making this event so successful and memorable each year. The funds raised at Casino Night go toward helping the Blue Tiger Athletics Club, an organization that supports over 250 student-athletes by providing various items ranging from gym bags to jerseys. The organization also provides general financial support for the college’s athletic programs.
“It’s a fun event,” says Blue Tiger Athletics Club president Joe Klebba. “It’s a celebration as well as a social event. One of the things that makes it special is the outpouring of support from the community; it brings the entire community together.”
Last year, with funds raised through Casino Night and other fundraising efforts, the Blue Tiger Athletics Club was able to provide $100,000 to Lincoln’s athletic programs. In addition to helping athletes obtain the equipment they need, last year’s fundraising efforts helped expand the athletics department with three new sports teams. Lincoln was able to add a men’s and women’s soccer team as well as a baseball program. With this extension, an additional 100 student-athletes have the opportunity to earn a college degree at Lincoln.
“With the funding, we’ll be able to help them to hit the ground running this coming year.”
Having the funding for these new sports programs has also brought about some big changes to the athletics department by bringing Lincoln into the Great Lakes Valley Conference. With the university now entered into the NCAA Division II, the athletics department can become more competitive by playing games against schools like Missouri S&T and Truman State University.