General | October 24

DEKALB, Ill. – In an effort to build its base of support for Northern Illinois University's 400 student-athletes in 17 sports programs, NIU's Huskie Athletic Fund, the primary fundraising arm of Huskie Athletics, has launched the "Drive for 25," (https://huskieathleticfund.com/) a campaign aimed at increasing membership in the Huskie Athletic Fund (HAF) to 2,500 members.   
 
With over 230,000 NIU alumni across the United States, the Huskie Athletic Fund currently has less than 1,200 active donors. The motivation behind the Drive for 25 is two-fold. First, to increase the existing base of support, and second, to raise the financial resources needed to provide NIU student-athletes with the opportunities to continue their success in the classroom, in competition and in the community.
 
IN THE CLASSROOM
NIU student-athletes completed the spring 2018 semester with a 3.201 cumulative grade point average (GPA) – the highest recorded in school history.  This includes 195 student-athletes who achieved a 3.0 GPA or better, while 107 were selected as Academic All-MAC honorees, and football's Max Scharping earned Google Cloud Academic All-America status from CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors).
 
IN COMPETITION
In 2017, Huskie defensive end Sutton Smith became only the second player in NIU history to earn Consensus All-America honors, while the Huskie track and field program produced two-time (indoor and outdoor) All-American Jehvania Whyte in the triple jump. Cross country's Ashley Tutt represented NIU and the United States internationally. After winning the 2018 USA Track & Field Junior Women's 6K, she went on to be the top American finisher at an international cross country meet in El Salvador.  
 
IN THE COMMUNITY
The Huskies logged 4,624 hours of community service during the 2017-18 school year, working with schools, non-profit organizations, special events and more both locally and throughout Chicagoland.  Community service by NIU student-athletes also extended beyond our nation's borders, as several members of the Huskie men's and women's soccer teams travelled to the Rwanda last summer as part of a program to help children in the East African nation stay in school while developing self-discipline, non-violent ways of handling conflict and HIV/AIDS prevention strategies.
 
DRIVE FOR 25
The cost of maintaining this type of success, and providing NIU student-athletes with the support needed to allow them to continue achieving at the highest levels, continues to rise. Through the Drive for 25, NIU hopes to encourage current Huskie Athletic Fund members to continue or increase their financial support, while inviting more fans, supporters and alumni to invest in NIU student-athletes' future successes, at any level.
 
"Now is the time to get involved with NIU and NIU Athletics, and there is no better way to impact our success, than to join the Huskie Athletic Fund," said NIU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier. "This effort is about Huskie students-athletes and continuing to provide the resources and levels of support necessary to allow them to compete, and succeed, at the highest levels." 
 
"Our student-athletes work extremely hard to represent NIU in a first-class manner and make all of our fans proud. We need even more of our alumni and friends to step up and be a part of their success by joining the Drive for 25."
 
For as little as $25, anyone can support NIU Athletics and answer this important call-to-action. To be a part of the Drive for 25, donate online or contact the Huskie Athletic Fund by phone at (815) 753-1923, or via email at huskieathleticfund@niu.edu.
 
As part of the kickoff of the Drive for 25, NIU is offering all new donors who join the Drive for 25 by Tuesday, November 6, the chance to attend six – that's SIX – ticketed NIU Athletics events starting Tuesday, November 6 through Saturday, November 10 – for just $10. The "Huskie Six Pack" – includes a ticket to all six of these NIU home competitions:
 
Tuesday, Nov. 6 – Men's Basketball vs. Rockford, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 7 – Football vs. Toledo, 6 or 7 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 8 – Women's Basketball vs. Yale, 6 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 9 – Men's Basketball vs. Northern Kentucky, 6 p.m. AND Volleyball vs. Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10 – Volleyball vs. Eastern Michigan, 7 p.m.
 
Become a donor today, and purchase an unlimited number of Huskie Six Packs, by calling 815-753-1923 or 815-753-PACK (7225). Or, donate online, and NIU Athletics will contact you via e-mail with the special promo code and link, allowing you to get Huskie Six Packs, including tickets for all six events, for just $10.
 
In addition to retaining current members, the Huskie Athletic Fund has created a referral program that seeks assistance from current members to encourage their network of friends, colleagues, family members, or former NIU teammates to help grow the base of support.  
 
Huskie Athletic Fund officials also recently deployed the re-envisioned Huskie Varsity Club as a way to engage NIU student-athlete alumni. Additionally, Huskies Invest: A Week of Giving (Nov. 5-9) will provide an opportunity for all of Huskie Nation to donate generously to the Huskie Athletic Fund and directly impact more than 400 NIU student-athletes through various opportunities.   
 
-- NIU –