Madison Shumway

Staff Writer

A year of planning and thousands of donations later, the 2016 I Love ISU campaign concluded with over $230,000 of scholarship money raised.

Fundraising this year, which will provide scholarships for Idaho residents, exceeded the goal of $225,000 and included a $53,290.80 donation from administration. More than a thousand people donated to the cause, with an average donation of about $150, said campaign director Kallee Valentine.

“The I Love ISU campaign was crowdfunding before crowdfunding was cool,” Valentine said. “When you’re looking at those smaller dollar amounts, it matters. People are like, ‘I only have 25 dollars.’ That’s what this campaign is. They all add up.”

Money from the campaign will fund 278 scholarships for new students from Idaho. According to Valentine, the awards enable residents to attend college with less debt and encourage students to attend school in-state.

Keeping Idaho residents in state schools is good for their communities, said I Love ISU chair Mary Vagner.

“[The campaign] benefits the community in the long term as more young people have the chance to be better educated and prepared to contribute to the economy when they are finished,” she said. “ It also sets an example of giving back, which is a value in our community.”

Pocatello business leaders created I Love ISU in 1982 with those goals in mind, said Valentine. Local businesses still contribute to the campaign.

The McDonald’s by campus donated 20 percent of proceeds from lunch Sept. 14. Volunteers from Pocatello Chamber of Commerce, Idaho Power, ISU Credit Union, Texas Roadhouse, Intermountain Gas, Idaho State Journal and Allstate participated in phone call drives.

Teams called alumni and community members during the drives and asked for donations. University staff, retired educators, Pocatello fire and police departments, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs, the College of Technology, alumni and ASISU also formed teams during the week of calling in Pocatello.

The campaign focuses on creating affordable college opportunities, which is crucial for residents and nontraditional students, said Dez Ruiz, ASISU vice president and call drive volunteer.

“The one thing I admire most about Idaho State University is it doesn’t really matter who you were, [or] what you accomplished before entering the university,” Ruiz said. “The university is so focused on helping you accomplish the goals you have for yourself now.”

Campaigners emphasized affordability for local students while soliciting donations. According to Valentine, once people see how scholarships impact students from their communities, they are more likely to contribute.

“They want to help students from their local economy and community, because they want them to be successful,” said Valentine. “It’s making an impact, and it continues to steadily grow.”

Over 80 percent of ISU students are Idaho residents, with over half hailing from Bannock, Bingham, Power and Bonneville counties, according to tenth-day enrollment numbers released by the university. The campaign included several other events, including Chamber of Commerce trade tables, ice cream socials for employees, a kickoff breakfast and an after-hours event at the Portneuf Wellness Center. It was a year-long project culminating in a frenzied month of fundraising, but I Love ISU proved rewarding, Valentine said.

“What an honor to be able to give someone an education.”