Record-Breaking Philanthropic Support from Iona Community on Annual Day of Giving
This year’s Gaels Giving Day raised over $370,000 in a single day
Each year, Iona University’s “Gaels Giving Day” – a tremendous 24-hour fundraising effort – brings alumni, parents, faculty and members of the Iona community together to support all areas of the University.
This year, on March 16, the Iona community broke its single-day fundraising record, raising over $370,000 in support of programs, scholarships and efforts to enhance the student experience. Gaels Giving Day brings Iona to over $1.75 million for the year in annual support.
“Over the past few years Iona has made significant progress on several fronts and has been recognized in national rankings from The Wall Street Journal, The Princeton Review and others as a result,” said Iona University President Seamus Carey, Ph.D. “That progress is the result of so many people, but especially from the support of our alumni who contribute and make this incredible work possible for us.”
In a double celebration of Gaels Giving Day and the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Iona community joined together to march up Fifth Avenue. This year’s parade was led by Iona alumna and HEINEKEN USA CEO Maggie Timoney ’89, ’92MBA, ’23H, a University Trustee.
“The true spirit of Iona really comes out on Gaels Giving Day and it’s no surprise to see the excitement and celebration combined with the value for giving back,” said Gary Grant, senior vice president of Advancement and External Affairs.
The success of Gaels Giving Day was propelled by 10 exciting challenges and “dollar-for-dollar” matches generously provided by Iona alumni and community members to increase giving impact:
- “The Chairman’s Challenge,” sponsored by Iona Board of Trustee Chair Michael P. Hegarty ’66.
- “The Heineken Challenge,” sponsored by Heineken USA and Maggie Timoney ’89, ‘92MBA, ‘23H, and current Trustee.
- A dollar-for-dollar matching gift provided by Iona Trustee Ron DeFeo ’74, ‘13H toward the Sigma Delta Phi Alumni Scholarship
- A dollar-for-dollar matching gift provided by current parent Chris Durnan toward the Patrick Ryan Quinn ’06, ’21H Memorial Endowed Rugby Scholarship.
- “Steccato Family Challenge,” a dollar-for-dollar matching gift provided by Patricia (Barrett) and Joe Steccato, Iona Crew Class of 1987, toward the Jimmy Barrett ’81 Endowment Fund.
- “Iaco Family Challenge,” a dollar-for-dollar matching gift provided by Anita ’85 and Steve ’83 Iaco, toward the Iona Scholarship Fund and Iona Athletics.
- A dollar-for-dollar matching gift provided by Cathy McCabe ’85 toward the Gaels Go Further Mentoring Programs Fund.
- “Aversano Family Challenge,” a dollar-for-dollar matching gift provided by current parents Paul and Sylvia Aversano.
- “Student Engagement Challenge,” sponsored by Scott Mangino ’08, member of the Alumni Board of Directors.
- “Young Alumni Challenge,” sponsored by Lucille Bootman ’17, young alumni Trustee, and Kayla Kosack-Haughton ’17, chair of Maroon and Gold Council and member of the Alumni Board of Directors.
Learn more about Gaels Giving Day or please click here to make a gift to Iona University!
ABOUT IONA
Founded in 1940, Iona University is a master's-granting private, Catholic, coeducational institution of learning in the tradition of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers. Iona's 45-acre New Rochelle campus and 28-acre Bronxville campus are just 20 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. With a total enrollment of nearly 4,000 students and an alumni base of more than 50,000 around the world, Iona is a diverse community of learners and scholars dedicated to academic excellence and the values of justice, peace and service. Iona is highly accredited, offering undergraduate degrees in liberal arts, science and business administration, as well as Master of Arts, Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees and numerous advanced certificate programs. Iona students enjoy small class sizes, engaged professors and a wide array of academic programs across the School of Arts & Science; LaPenta School of Business; NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences; and Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Iona is widely recognized in prestigious rankings, including The Princeton Review’s 2024 national list of “The Best 389 Colleges” and The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse’s “2024 Best Colleges in America,” which ranked Iona at #66 in the nation overall and #8 in the nation among Catholic schools. Iona’s LaPenta School of Business is also accredited by AACSB International, a recognition awarded to just six percent of business schools worldwide. In addition, The Princeton Review recognized Iona’s on-campus MBA program as a “Best Business School for 2023.” Iona also offers a fully online MBA program for even greater flexibility. In July 2021, Iona announced the establishment of the NewYork-Presbyterian Iona School of Health Sciences, which is now principally located on Iona’s Bronxville campus in collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian. Connecting to its Irish heritage, the University also recently announced it is expanding abroad with a new campus in County Mayo, Ireland. A school on the rise, Iona officially changed its status from College to University on July 1, 2022, reflecting the growth of its academic programs and the prestige of an Iona education.