Letter from President Will

It is my pleasure to share some exciting news from Gettysburg with you. In October, 2006, the College received a gift of $2 million for the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness. The gift, given by Robert Ortenzio, Class of 1979, is the largest single outright gift made by a living individual in the history of Gettysburg College. Bob, Chief Executive Officer of Select Medical Corporation in nearby Mechanicsburg, PA, was an All-America wrestler for the Bullets and was inducted into the Gettysburg College Hall of Athletic Honor in 1999.

For many years we have dreamed about the possibility of building a great athletic and recreation space for our active campus community. Nearly 25 percent of our students participate on one of the 24 varsity athletic teams fielded by the College, and more than half of all Gettysburg students take part in an extensive intramural and club sports program. Because our students are so active, we need to provide a wide array of opportunities for recreation and fitness to them, including weight training, aerobic activities, swimming, spinning, and yoga.

John Jaeger, Class of 1965, and a current member of the Board of Trustees, also has made a significant commitment of $1.2 million toward this project. John has asked us to challenge each of you to make a gift to the Center project, and, to show you how important he believes this project is to the students at the College, John has made his gift a matching gift. He will match gifts to the Center, dollar for dollar, up to $1.2 million.

The time is NOW for the next bold step! The Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness is no longer a luxury, but an absolute necessity for Gettysburg College, and two people have stepped forward to encourage you to consider making a gift today. I will ask the Board of Trustees to move forward on the construction of this building at its February meeting and we need your commitment now so that we can show strong forward movement toward our fundraising goal for the project.

I am writing to you personally and asking you to consider supporting the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Fitness by making a gift to the College today for this most important project. I have enclosed a complete packet of materials so that you can see what great plans we have for this state-of-the-art recreation and fitness facility. Gifts can be made as a single payment or gifts can be pledged over a three-year period. Every gift is important and appreciated and now, with John Jaeger's match, can be doubled! I hope any gift you will make toward this project will be over and above any support you already lend to either the Gettysburg Fund and/or the Orange & Blue Club, both of which are vital to ongoing operations of the College and the athletic department.

On behalf of our students and the entire campus community, thank you for considering a gift to this project and for joining Bob and John to help make the Center a reality.

Best Regards,

Katherine Haley Will
President

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