Pirate Nation Gives exceeds expectations, raises $11.8 million for ECU

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - East Carolina University says donations for this year’s Pirate Nation Gives exceeded expectations.

2,300 Pirates answered the call to support East Carolina University during Pirate Nation Gives.

The seventh annual Pirate Nation Gives was held Wednesday and raised more than $11.8 million in support of the university. ECU says 2,300 people stepped up this year with the money going to student scholarships, health care initiatives, athletics, and to faculty and program support.

Students and ECU staff and faculty participated in Pirate Nation Gives through a variety of on-campus activities. In total, the students made up 20% of the donations, according to a news release.

“Thank you, Pirate Nation, for being part of an outstanding day of giving at ECU. We asked for you to be all hands on deck for the university, and you rose to every challenge,” Chancellor Philip Rogers said. “Your gifts and enthusiastic support of ECU allow the university to fearlessly pursue our mission. Because of you, ECU will provide more access to a top-tier education and continue providing innovative initiatives to transform and uplift the region we call home.”

Generous support shown by all of Pirate Nation was led by Pat ‘67 and Lynn Lane, annual supporters of Pirate Nation Gives. Their leadership gift will support the EC Scholars program and the Honors College.

Notable gifts this year include:

Keith Beatty ‘73, who has endowed access and athletics scholarships with a gift of more than $980,000
ECU Trustee Cassie Burt and her husband Travis, who have committed to a professorship
Todd Ervin ‘94, who gave $25,000 toward the Todd & Elizabeth Ervin College of Business ROTC Scholarship Endowment
Cheryl and John Oliver, who provided a Pirate Nation Gives challenge gift of $25,000 in addition to a bequest and planned gift in support of the Coastal Studies Institute
Darrell Roberts, a technology systems student, who has donated $5,000 to start a scholarship in the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology program
Nicholas Steward ‘07 ‘11, who established a scholarship endowment in the College of Nursing in memory of his wife, Christina Hill Steward ‘07