Jacks Give Back

Posted on Jul 20, 2018 in Archives, Features, Summer 20180 comments



With outreach being one of the land-grant mission’s cornerstones, the Alumni Association wanted to see what can happen when Jackrabbits band together to make a difference. As a result, it launched #JacksGiveBack.

The idea was simple, one day of service where Jackrabbits all over the country would do a service project and share photos on social media. The Alumni Association wanted to see the power of bringing Jackrabbits together for the greater good. Mother Nature, however, had another idea for Staters living in the Midwest, so one day of service stretched to two weeks of service to reschedule activities interrupted by a blizzard.

“We like to give back to the community and be as active as we can,” said Annette Johnson ’99. She and her husband, Matt ’98, and their children, Noah and Grace, participated in the Sioux Empire Staters project for Kids Against Hunger in Sioux Falls. “We heard about the #JacksGiveBack event, and it was an easy decision to participate. It’s important to teach our kids to be aware of the issues going on in the world and give back to the community.”

Jacks Give Back logoThe Johnsons were joined by 39 other Jackrabbits to pack 7,992 meals in roughly an hour for Kids Against Hunger.

Another example of the power of Jackrabbits was Hillfest, a fundraiser for Hillcrest Elementary School in Brookings. More than 70 individuals took part, which has raised anywhere from $6,000 to $9,000 that goes toward the district’s school lunch program and after-school Spanish classes.

“We rely heavily on the pool of volunteers to hold this event. We wouldn’t be able to do this event without LeadState. This is our third year having LeadState serve as our most important partner,” said Trish Matson Buus, who said Hillfest has been held for 31 years. “We have nearly 400 volunteer slots. Whether it’s the SDSU volleyball team helping set up or SDSU staff and students running events, we are grateful for the help.”

Overall, more than 300 Jackrabbits participated nationally. Whether it was greeting Veterans Honor Flights in Washington, D.C., or collecting food in several South Dakota counties, #JacksGiveBack can be ruled a success.

“We believe in the power of bringing Jackrabbits together, and we wanted alumni to share that power with the organizations in their communities,” said Andi Fouberg, president/CEO of the Alumni Association. “We had some weather issues, but we had a great start. I hope to see the program grow with more Jackrabbits giving back each year. I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish.”

– Matt Schmidt

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