Celebrating the University and the World

As has become a traditional end-of-the-semester celebration, Montclair State University’s faculty, staff and students celebrated One Day for Montclair together with World’s Fair Day to honor the University’s rich diversity through food, dance performances, games and music from around the world – and a friendly competition to raise money for scholarships and programs.

The University’s annual giving day fundraiser, One Day for Montclair (#1Day4Montclair), celebrates the contributions that help provide increased opportunities for students to follow their dreams through the creation of scholarships and programs.

Thanks to matching gifts and donation challenges, including a challenge to donate what you’d spend on a latte, One Day for Montclair raised more than $265,000 through 1,674 gifts. Since its inception in 2016, One Day for Montclair has raised more than $765,000 for students and programs.

One Day for Montclair set up a booth at World’s Fair Day, which took place on the Alumni Green side of Cole Hall on Thursday, April 27. Other booths with food and information about other countries and customs lined the sidewalks.

“One Day for Montclair has turned into something special, and we are just amazed by how well the call to come together on behalf of the students was answered,” says Director of Annual Giving Kara Baldwin Brennan ’92. “We were thrilled by the tremendous energy felt throughout the day, especially knowing how impactful these gifts are. Last year was the first year we combined our event with World’s Fair Day and it has made it a huge success and makes the challenges even more fun.”

Part of the fun of the day is in the philanthropy – no gift is too small and together the gifts have a large impact. Faculty, staff and students gave up a latte for one day, one week or one month, and made gifts to lift up the next generation of Red Hawks. Those who gave the amount of a latte received a coupon for latte from Java Love Roasting Co., one of the University’s generous community partners.

Not only were students invited to taste foods from other countries and experience different cultures, they were also introduced to many campus department offices and organizations that set up information tables, so students could learn more about what was available to them on campus.

“The World’s Fair Day event is one of our best events on campus,” says Vice President for Student Development and Campus Life Dawn Meza Soufleris. “It’s a day to pause to value the rich diversity and culture on our campus and have a moment of relaxation and fun before finals. It’s always a great day to celebrate who we are and the fact that we are a pretty amazing place.”

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