General | 12/7/2016 9:00:00 AM

Romeoville, Ill. – The third annual Flyer Friends and Family Crowdfunding Campaign raised over $75,000, shattering last year's standard of nearly $65,000. It is the most money raised for the Lewis University Athletics Department in school history.
 
The campaign saw an increase of over 15% in total campaign dollars raised and 10% growth in donors and gifts. Over 800 gifts were made for the campaign.

A record 11 programs raised more money than last year and seven teams surpassed their fundraising goal of $5,000. There has been nearly $200,000 raised in the three-year history of the campaign.

The funds raised will be used to purchase equipment, provide new training opportunities and travel to out-of-state competitions for all Flyer athletic teams.

"I am overwhelmed and thankful to all of our Flyer supporters who continue to make a positive impact on the lives of our 400 student-athletes," Lewis Associate Athletics Director / Director of External Relations Brian Sisson said. "I want to thank Luigi Amendola, Kathryn Risor Heise and the Lewis University Advancement staff for helping once again collaborate on a successful campaign."

The team that raised the most money during the campaign was the Lewis men's volleyball team, as they collected $11,535. They also hit three $500 incentive categories including the program to hit its $5,000 goal the quickest, most raised overall and the biggest increase ($4,260) from the 2015 campaign.
 
"We had a fantastic show of support for our program and the athletics department," Lewis head men's volleyball coach Dan Friend said. "A sincere thank you from all of us to those Flyer fans and their continued support of Lewis Athletics."
 
The women's tennis team earned the fourth $500 incentive, as each of its student-athletes averaged 5.5 gifts.
 
The Flyer Friends and Family campaign ran from late Sept. – Nov. 30th.