In his first State of the Union address, President George Washington said, “Knowledge is in every country the surest basis of public happiness.” Two hundred twenty-nine years later, the George Washington University hosted the fifth annual GW Flag Day to thank donors and celebrate the impact of philanthropy on the GW experience—and students' knowledge creation. On April 17, more than 1,000 students wrote thank you notes to donors and showed their appreciation by wearing George Washington’s commander-in-chief flag pins.
In addition, more than 200 students shared what philanthropy means to them via text:
- “Raising donations for my dance team has allowed me to find a family at GW and a home away from home.”
- “Thank you, donors, for supporting women in engineering!”
- “As a recipient of a donation, I stayed in the School of Medicine when my funding fell through. Thanks to the donors who are changing lives.”
- “It has made me what I am today—a better global citizen!”
