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CORVALLIS, OR – Our Beaver Nation, the athletic fundraising arm of the Oregon State University Foundation, launches the FEARLESS – Women of Oregon State Athletics fundraising initiative with the goal of generating financial support for OSU women’s athletic programs.

“All of us at Oregon State are very excited about the FEARLESS initiative that was launched by Our Beaver Nation,” said Scott Barnes, OSU vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. “This will bring more recognition to our female student-athletes and allow our donors and alumni to support our women’s athletic programs in several meaningful ways.”

FEARLESS recognizes the excellence of our female student-athletes, educates our community about the many ways OSU Athletics and OSU’s women’s programs have redefined excellence in women’s sports, and encourages Beavers everywhere to give to the future of women’s athletics at OSU.

“FEARLESS is the perfect initiative to build awareness and recognition for our women’s athletic programs and female student-athletes,” said Jacque Bruns, senior associate athletic director/chief financial officer/senior women's administrator. “The financial support from Oregon State donors and fans will help keep these programs at a championship level, while benefiting the student-athletes on the playing fields, in the classroom and in the community.”

FEARLESS is intended to inspire giving to a multitude of areas including, but not limited to, student-athlete scholarships, development, and mental health, as well as facility construction and renovations, equipment upgrades and subsidizing travel needs. While the FEARLESS - Women of Oregon State Athletics Fund has been set up and will support all of our women’s sports, all gifts in support of women’s sports at OSU will be part of the FEARLESS initiative.

“We are grateful for a key group of donors who in recent years have partnered with the OSU Foundation to enhance our women’s programs, from supporting facility upgrades to creating new endowments,” said Aaron Escobar, senior associate athletic director and vice president of athletic development. “The FEARLESS fundraising initiative celebrates their legacy of giving. Currently, we are in the initial stage of inspiring gifts in support of women’s sports and recruiting donors to assist as volunteer leaders.”

OSU is home to 270 women student-athletes across ten sports (basketball, softball, golf, rowing, volleyball, indoor track & field, outdoor track & field, cross country, soccer and gymnastics).

FEARLESS affords student-athlete alumnae the ability to support their sport's discretionary funds through programmatic donations. Additionally, FEARLESS provides the opportunity to support a specific project benefiting women’s athletic programs, create a named scholarship or an endowment that will last in perpetuity supporting the aforementioned areas.

FEARLESS is unveiled in accordance with the SEE IT BEav IT initiative originally announced on May 9 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX on June 23, 50 years to the day after President Richard Nixon signed the legislation into effect, prohibiting discrimination based on gender in educational institutions that receive federal funding, which greatly impacted college athletics. SEE IT BEav IT will focus on celebrating the stories of women's athletics at Oregon State. Activation is taking place across numerous platforms, including social media, video productions, feature stories, and more.


For more information, please contact:

Our Beaver Nation
ourbeavernation@osufoundation.org
541-737-2370