PITT UNDERGRADUATES LAUNCH FIRST EVER STUDENT-DRIVEN FUNDRAISING INITIATIVE

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 11 -- Undergraduate students at the University of Pittsburgh have joined forces to launch the first student-driven fund raising initiative, aimed at generating ongoing support for their fellow students.

This campus-based, grassroots effort comes in the form of the Pitt Program Council Endowed Book Fund, a fully funded textbook subsidy that will be awarded to eligible Pitt undergraduate students. This fund, designed by students to benefit students, marks the first time in the history of fund raising at the University of Pittsburgh that students have spearheaded a fund raising initiative that will directly benefit their fellow Pitt students regardless of school or college affiliation. The University's Department of Annual Giving approached the Pitt Program Council with the idea of creating the fund.

The Pitt Program Council Endowed Book Fund will provide financial assistance to students whose families don't qualify for other forms of financial aid and who struggle to afford the costs of their Pitt education. Eligible students will need to be in good standing academically, and will apply through the University's Financial Aid Office.

The minimum requirement for an endowed fund at the University of Pittsburgh is $10,000. To achieve this initial goal, the Pitt Program Council has partnered with the PittTeleFund, which is the telefundraising division of the University's Department of Annual Giving. The TeleFund is providing fund raising guidance for the student campaign, while generating financial support from alumni, parents, faculty, and staff.

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