Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 13 No. 6 | June 2021

inside.hokiesports.com 3 (540) 231-6618 • hokieclub@vt.edu • hokieclub • hokieclub • @HokieClub THE KEY INITIATIVES YOUR IMPACT & Football Enhancement Virginia Tech Athletics is committed to building a football program that can compete for ACC titles every year. This commitment means devoting additional resources to the school’s most visible athletics brand. The football program is underfunded compared to its peers, at a time when winning universities must embrace new ways to empower their coaches. We must correct our competitive disadvantage and enable Coach Justin Fuente to continue building the best developmental program in the nation: recruiting student-athletes of strong character and developing them, and having a “next man up” mentality, always preparing the next player or coach to be ready to step up when their time comes. In order to recruit and retain the very best coaches and student-athletes, $30 million added over time to the Football Enhancement Fund will be used to bolster: recruiting, our assistant coach salary pool, quality control coaches, student-athlete development, and capital needs. By building strong relationships between our coaches and our student- athletes, we can help all the young men in our program reach a higher ceiling in all areas of their lives, while delivering victories that thrill the worldwide Hokie Nation. Cassell Coliseum When it’s filled with 10,000 fans cheering the Hokies to victory in the last seconds of a basketball game, Cassell Coliseum is an amazing sight. But when it’s empty, the home of Virginia Tech basketball, volleyball, and wrestling shows its age. Built in the early 1960s, the coliseum is due for an extensive renovation. This much-needed $75 million-plus project, helped by at least $50 million in private support, would create one of the best home venues in the ACC. To view more renderings visit reach.hokiesports.com Sport Specific Giving Being a pre-eminent athletics program in the Atlantic Coast Conference means allotting funds toward the needs of all our teams. The pressure to compete in this league is intense, but the opportunities have never been greater. Our programs look to build the complete student-athlete, striving for success in competition while creating leaders for tomorrow. The financial support from this campaign will enable us to compete for ACC and National Championships. Thanks to your generosity a strong foundation has been built, and with your ongoing support, we can ensure our success moving forward. We are ready to continue the vision and tradition of the past while propelling our Hokies into the future as we Reach for Excellence. Scholarship Endowments More than 570 of Virginia Tech’s student-athletes receive scholarship support and those financial resources provide opportunities for young people to attend college in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech Athletics spent $17 million in tuition, books, room and board, fees, and cost of attendance during the 2019-20 academic year. Those costs continue to increase, and as part of Reach for Excellence, Virginia Tech Athletics will pursue additional endowments – gifts or pledges of $100,000 or more – that are invested and provide a steady stream of annual financial support to pay for scholarships. These monies will allow Virginia Tech Athletics to continue making positive transformations in the lives of its student-athletes. The Drive for 25 The Hokie Club has been on a mission to increase its membership to 25,000 annual members to provide critical revenue needed for the scholarship support of Virginia Tech’s student- athletes, and as a result, an opportunity for a Virginia Tech education and that goal has not changed. Now nearing 20,000 members, The Drive for 25 is an important part of Reach for Excellence, providing an entry point for all to make an investment. Whether one gives $25 or $100 or $1 million, he or she is making an impact and committing to helping Virginia Tech Athletics build a championship culture.