ECU’s Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center to announce record crowdfunding campaign
The Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center at East Carolina University will announce achieving its $15,000 goal in its first-ever crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday. The campaign began on Jan. 30 through ECU Fund It as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the center and is the most successful crowdfunding campaign in the university’s history. A new goal will be announced Feb. 24. The campaign ends March 15.
ECU first founded the LGBT Resource Office in 2011, and in 2019 the office became the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center, which has grown to become the largest center of its kind in the UNC system. The center sees more than 7,000 student visits each academic year and serves as a resource, referral, educational, and social location on campus.
“We are deeply gratified by the response to our first-ever crowdfunding campaign,” said Mark Rasdorf, senior associate director of the Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center. “We are encouraged that so many recognize the value and impact of our work, not only on campus but also the ways in which it enriches our community.”
The center’s namesake, Dr. Jesse Peel, is a native of eastern North Carolina and has been involved with philanthropy at ECU since the 1980s. His significant gift allowed the center to expand and ensured that future generations of ECU students would find a safe, accepting and nurturing place to call home.
Donations received during the crowdfunding campaign will support students and community engagement initiatives through the LGBTQ Priority Fund. The fund provides scholarships for students as well as professional development opportunities such as service learning and national LGBTQ conferences. The fund also provides low-cost Safe Zone Trainings for K-12 educators, administrators, counselors, school staff and parents. The center partners with the College of Education and Campus Recreation and Wellness to provide the trainings.
ECU Fund It is a crowdfunding initiative that uses 45-day campaigns to raise additional funding beyond what the university provides, allowing divisions, colleges and schools, departments, and student organizations to complete special projects. Other crowdfunding campaigns with ECU Fund It include $10,000 for the College of Business’ completed MIS STEM Camp for Girls project and the Honors College’s current Edible Landscape Initiative.
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Contact: Mark Rasdorf, senior associate director, Dr. Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ Center, rasdorfm@ecu.edu
Telephone: 252-737-4451