The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's Mocs Club announced that Chattanooga Athletics is participating in Giving Tuesday for the first time on November 27.  The Mocs Club is using the day to launch its "Drive for 25" campaign. The campaign aims to raise $25,000 in scholarship funds for UTC student-athletes to which an anonymous donor has generously agreed to match.

The campaign focuses on its most immediate need in funding for athletic scholarships. Of the 15 athletics programs on campus, only three (Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball) are fully funded. Scholarship support is by and large the most critical need for UTC athletics as educational costs and the growth of resource-driven Division I athletics continue to rise.

Starting at 9:00 a.m. (E.S.T.) on the 27^th, the Mocs Club and the University of Chattanooga Foundation Inc. will begin encouraging fans and alumni to make a financial contribution to the campaign. The campaign runs through the end of the year with the last day being December 31.

"We are thrilled to be participating in Giving Tuesday by launching our Drive for 25 campaign," said Mark Wharton, Vice Chancellor & Director of Athletics at UTC.  "Giving Tuesday has become a staple of philanthropy across college athletics, so being able to launch this campaign on the same day is a great opportunity for our athletic department.

"We are calling on all of our terrific fans and alumni to step up and make a donation as we continue to strive to provide the best possible student-athlete experience for all of our 300 student-athletes.  We are extremely appreciative of this anonymous donor's pledge and are hopeful that through the support of the UTC athletics community, we will be able to capitalize off this amazing opportunity."

Created in 2012, Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Observed on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving and the widely-recognized Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, which includes holiday and end-of-year giving.

The Drive for 25 Raffle
Invest in Excellence! Your donation, no matter the size, counts. Making a gift is simple and those at certain giving levels will be rewarded with some terrific opportunities. For each gift at the below giving levels, donors will automatically be entered into drawing for the Mocs Club Raffle!

• $250 and above donors: Official UTC gear (2 winners)
• $500 and above donors: Signed Terrell Owens football (2 winners)
• $1,000 and above donors: 2 courtside seats to a mutually agreed upon home basketball game (2 winners)
• $2,500 and above donors: Official UTC Helmet (1 winner)
• $5,000 and above donors: Accompany the UTC Men's Basketball team to one mutually agreed upon away game

If you have any questions about the Drive for 25 campaign or would like more information in giving back to UTC Athletics, contact the Mocs Club by email at Mocsclub@utc.edu or phone at 423-425-5866.