Since we launched the University of South Carolina’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund in March, hundreds of students have applied for help with financial hardships caused by this pandemic. Our amazing student leaders quickly stepped forward with grassroots fundraising efforts to help address their classmates’ need for help. Two of them -- class of 2020 graduate Lyric Swinton and Student Government vice president Hannah White -- hosted a 24-hour Podcast-A-Thon April 24-25 to raise awareness and donations for the Emergency Relief Fund.

If you missed Hannah and Lyric’s marathon, no worries -- we’ve compiled some highlights that shine a light on the true spirit of our South Carolina community. These moments celebrate who we are and why we are all so proud to call ourselves Gamecocks, with cameo appearances from President Bob Caslen, Dr. Anna Edwards, Dr. Dennis Pruitt and many more who love this university and its students. Thanks to their combined efforts, more than $3,500 was raised during the 24-hour period to help South Carolina students who need help paying rent, buying groceries and other basic needs right now.

You can make a gift today in honor of student leaders like Hannah and Lyric and ensure that, no matter where they are, our students in need feel the support of that Gamecock spirit. Forever to thee, University of South Carolina

Dear University of South Carolina Friends, Family and Alumni: It is hard to believe that eight weeks have passed since we made the difficult but critical decision to close our campuses in an effort to curb the impact of COVID-19 on our community. In that time, our South Carolina family has rallied to help students who have been financially impacted by this crisis. 

To date, more than 1,700 students have applied for assistance from our COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund.  Generous donations have enabled us to make more than 300 awards. As new donations come in, we are able to immediately award the next students awaiting help and will continue to do so as long as possible.

To meet increasing needs, we have extended our goal to $400,000. We are a community that lives by the Carolinian Creed, connected by more than 200 years of tradition. If any family can come together in this moment, it is ours, the alumni and friends of the University of South Carolina.

Gifts of any size will be an immediate help to students who urgently need assistance. Please consider a gift today.

Forever to thee,

University of South Carolina

Gamecock Friends and Family,

In the weeks since the University of South Carolina established the UofSC COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, more than a thousand students have applied for temporary financial aid with new requests coming in every day. The need is unprecedented, but so is the generosity of the South Carolina community.

When you donate to the UofSC COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, you're helping students like Brandon, a civil engineering senior who has a full class load and was working as a research assistant. When the university closed the campus in March, his research position – a project he’d worked on for two years – came to a stop, taking with it his primary source of income.

In need of help, Brandon was relieved that the university had established the UofSC COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to aid students facing financial hardships in the wake of COVID-19. He immediately applied, and a few days later, got the funds he needed to help pay rent and some urgent bills.   “It meant I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay my bills for a while,” Brandon says. Now, with two new part-time jobs at a fast-food restaurant and a grocery store, he’s “back on track.”

Gifts of any size will have an immediate impact on students like Brandon who urgently need help, so please consider a gift today.

Forever to thee,

University of South Carolina

Mackenzie is a junior at the University of South Carolina. Because of campus closure and COVID-19, she needed immediate assistance to pay her rent. The South Carolina family stepped up in a huge way, and Mackenzie is just one of 181 students who have received funds they urgently needed in the last week alone.  Donors have been incredibly generous with their gifts, but the need continues to grow. As of this morning, 450 students are still in need. 

To meet increasing needs, we are extending our goal to $400,000. We are a community who lives by the Carolinian Creed, building on more than 200 years of tradition. If any family can come together in this moment, it is ours, the alumni and friends of the University of South Carolina. Gifts of any size will have an immediate impact on students who urgently need help, so please consider a gift today.  

University of South Carolina Friends, Family and Alumni,

Last week, UofSC launched the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund to support students who have been impacted by campus closure, lost jobs or other unexpected situations caused by the pandemic. In just the first week, our South Carolina community came together to donate more than $37,000, and we couldn't be prouder.

At the same time, our Financial Aid office has already received applications from more than 380 students in need right now. To fulfill all approved requests, we need to raise at least $200,000 as quickly as possible. We know it's a big ask, but we also know that the South Carolina community has weathered countless storms together. This is a new storm, one we haven't faced before, but one we can overcome if we band together.

Gifts of any size will have an immediate impact on students who urgently need help, so please consider a gift today.

Forever to thee,

University of South Carolina