     The Chadron State Foundation’s annual Fall Fund Drive held its official kickoff luncheon Tuesday for this year’s teams of more than 80 volunteers representing the campus and community.
Development Officer and Fall Drive coordinator Brandon Davenport says the Fall drive involves teams of volunteers seeking donations and pledges from businesses and individuals throughout Chadron and Northwest Nebraska.
In the past, there’s been a friendly competition with prizes to the teams raising the most money, but Davenport says this year there are prizes for all teams based on a points system.
Teams reaching the top tier of points wins lunch with Chadron State President Dr Ron Patterson for all team members while the second tier are CSC-branded duffle bags for all team members.
      There are 8 teams from the campus and 6 from the community this year. Davenport says this mix emphasizes the importance of both to Chadron State.
The Fall Fund Drive has always had 2 co-chairs for both the campus and community teams who serve staggered 2-year terms so that one of each has a year’s experience. Davenport says this year, though, all 4 are rookies.
In another bit of a change, Davenport says all 4 co-chairs are relatively new to the Chadron community.
In their regular jobs, Cody Benton is a banker at Homestead Bank while Cali Frankovic is Public Relations and Marketing Director for Chadron Community Hospital and Health Services On the campus side, Kim Hernandez is the Assistant Director of Human Resources and Chantel Merchan is the director of the Office of Student Success.
Davenport says the active phase of the drive began yesterday and runs for 3 weeks, wrapping up on Friday the 20th – although the final total raised won’t be known until next month.
New this year will be a drop-in Fall Fund Drive Pledge Party next Friday with the public invited to come to the Student Center any time between 11:00 and 1:00 for a celebration of CSC students.
Several students will talk at the Pledge Party about their college experience and how scholarships funded by the Fall Fund Drive have affected their lives.