As many of their peers were finishing up their homework in preparation for another week of class, a group of young engineers were hard at work trying to do some good for the Pratt School of Engineering community.
This past Friday, Saturday and Sunday marked the annual Pratt School of Engineering Phonathon, during which 40-60 undergraduate students, development staff and Pratt Staff members called alumni of the school of engineering to raise money for the school's general fund..
Jennifer Crumpler, assistant director of annual givings for Pratt said that this phonathon, which is run entirely by volunteers, is the only one of it’s kind.
“We are the only school that does it internally,” Crumpler said. “That’s what makes this [event] unique and different.… The students are great, and the alums love talking to them.”
The approximately 230 donations given through the event all go towards the Pratt School of Engineering General Fund, which in turn distributes the money to “wherever the need is greatest,” Crumpler said.
Although the success of the event was determined through the number of pledges given, the average gift given over the last three years was approximately $250, Crumpler said.
Becca Wilusz, Pratt ’07, is a fifth-year Ph.D. student at Duke who was participating in her 9th phonathon this year.
“You get really good stories from… calling [the alumni],” she said. “Being with your friends and calling and sharing stories is really fun.”
Wilusz said that an alumnus she called her freshman year said he would only pledge if she could correctly spell men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski’s last name. As an alumnus herself, Wilusz always challenges students who call her to name the starters of the 2001 men’s basketball national championship team or asks if they went to the past weekend’s football game.
The volunteer participants do not go home empty handed as well, as they all get free dinner as well as a prize, which this year was a Pratt sweatshirt.
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