UNH Today

UNH Today spoke with Rachel Rawlinson recently about how donors help make her program successful. Rawlinson is head of men's and women's rowing at UNH. 

How does donor support help your program?

It’s everything. It supports team travel and equipment maintenance and purchases, but the bigger impact is the effect it has on current team members, parents and friends of our program, who experience the support of generations of the UNH rowing family. This, in turn, keeps the circle of support growing and evolving.

Can you point to some specifics about how donors helped UNH rowing this year?

This year we purchased a new boat to name after Peter A. Cathey, the men’s head coach and rowing director for 20 years at UNH. We also used The (603) Challenge funds, as well as funds from the Kelly Quinn Gode and Morris Darling endowments, to offset the cost of repairing our boathouse roof.

Your Philanthropy Creates Possibilities

Explore the many ways you can support UNH at unh.edu/give/how-to-give.

Our development staff would be happy to work with you.

You’ve said your mission is "learn, grow, evolve, row hard, build integrity." Can explain what that means to you?

Our goals are to teach those who connect with our program to develop life skills and grow as people through the sport of rowing. This program contributes to the growth, learning, character and integrity-building of our next generation. 

What have some of your biggest successes been this year?

We celebrated our women’s team earning third at the Head of the Charles Regatta, our novice women’s 4+ team winning a national championship and our varsity women’s 8+ earning a silver at a national championship. The men’s 4+ of novices earned a silver medal at a national championship, rowing against older, more veteran varsity rowers.

What do you want donors to know about UNH rowing?

Donors make a significant impact by creating opportunities for the people in our program — gifts truly matter to us! In the future, we’ll be fundraising for a boathouse in Dover; we hope all of our friends and family will assist in this exciting venture!