UW-Parkside Celebrates Student Success on Parkside Day

Community comes together to make a difference on Parkside Day  

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside was pleased to celebrate its sixth annual Parkside Day, a day of giving and activities in support of the university on April 10. This year, 1,264 individuals across the nation participated in the day by donating, volunteering, and attending events. Parkside Day generated $210,874 from 915 donors in support of scholarships, athletics, and university programs. UW-Parkside is appreciative of the community’s efforts to support our educational mission and our students. 

“I am grateful to our alumni, corporate partners, faculty and staff members, and hundreds of supporters throughout the region for participating in Parkside Day. Our community showed incredible support for our students and our mission on Parkside Day,” said Maris Dishno, UW-Parkside's Director of Donor and Alumni Engagement. 

Each year, Parkside Day highlights areas on campus that have a significant impact on students and the community and can benefit from donor support. Parkside Day 2024 showcased campus sustainability, the library, and student food security (Sharing Shelves). It also continued the university’s focus on scholarships including the Future Focus Fund, the UW-Parkside Foundation's need-based scholarship and financial aid fund.

Parkside Day recognizes this year’s Future Focus corporate supporters: HARIBO of America and Snap-on Incorporated. HARIBO’s generous presenting sponsorship encouraged donors to participate in giving, with additional support to the Future Focus Fund through special challenges for recent alumni giving and “power hour” fundraising challenges, as well as challenges in support of UW-Parkside's Athletics teams. This year 46 scholarships and programs across the university were supported. 

The impact of Parkside Day extends beyond the dollars raised through the Rangers Give Back volunteer initiative. The Rangers Give Back initiative provides opportunities for UW-Parkside students, staff, and community members to volunteer locally and in other communities. In 24 hours, 91 individuals volunteered, contributing 210 hours of service. On-campus Rangers Give Back activities included efforts to paint windows as a deterrent for birds who may accidentally fly into them, and outdoor campus restoration projects. Volunteers painted 84,549 square feet of windows and removed 5,200 square feet of buckthorn, and with the help of Amazon volunteers, planted 228 plants.  

In total, nearly 1,300 members of the UW-Parkside community participated in Parkside Day. In addition to donating and volunteering, students, alumni, and community members participated in celebratory events on campus. 63 alumni returned to campus for the Ranger Reunion sponsored by the UW-Parkside Alumni Association. 

Additional information about Parkside Day and 2024 results is available here.  

To see more photos from Parkside Day, click here. 

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is committed to high-quality educational programs, creative and scholarly activities, and services responsive to its diverse student population, and its local, national, and global communities. We are a dynamic learning community grounded in academic excellence and focused on student success, diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. The campus serves as a premier comprehensive public institution and a destination of choice, serving as a focal point of local, regional, and global progress. 

Media contact:

Derek Fye
Communications Manager
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Fye@uwp.edu | (262) 771-5419