UC Davis Athletics gives back
During UC Davis Give Day 2017, Athletics achieved 100 percent staff and coach giving, had an active and creative presence on social media and earned the most gifts by generating playful competition between supporters of the university’s 23 sports programs.
This year, Give Day again coincides with Picnic Day on April 20 – April 21. It also takes place during UC Davis’ first-ever Employee Giving Month, which was inspired by the more than 800 employees from UC Davis and UC Davis Health who participated in Give Day last year. Employee Giving Month runs from April 2 – April 30, and coaches including Kevin Nosek ’99 and Anna Temple are already encouraging others to participate.
“I take great pride in being able to directly impact the university,” said UC Davis Men’s Basketball Assistant Coach Kevin Nosek ’99. “I’ve been around this program since I was 7 or 8 years old, running around with Coach Ham as a ball boy. I’m connected through so many generations of Aggie basketball players, and I have seen firsthand the difference giving can make in student-athletes’ lives.”
Nosek, a Cal Aggie Alumni Association Life Member, has been giving to the university for 10 years, largely through payroll deduction. He played guard for UC Davis’ 1998 championship team and is in his 16th season as an assistant coach.
“I was drawn back to the university because my Aggie pride is rooted here,” he explained. “It’s been a lifetime of memories, but more so, the young men in the program have enriched my family’s lives and given us an opportunity to hopefully better their lives.”
Anna Temple is in her sixth year as the Aggies' head coach for women’s golf. She has continued UC Davis' success in the Big West, capturing her third consecutive Big West Championship in 2015. Temple is excited for the inaugural employee giving month as a way to give back and model philanthropy to the student-athletes.
The first 100 employee gifts given on Give Day will unlock a $10,000 challenge from American Pacific Mortgage for the Larry N. Vanderhoef Staff Scholarship. This staff scholarship assists staff who are interested in furthering their professional education at UC Davis and beyond.
“I think it’s important to feel a part of something bigger than yourself,” Temple said. “There are a lot of opportunities on campus that you can put your dollars toward that align with something that is meaningful to you, personally.”
Nosek said he continues to support UC Davis and the athletics department because the university has done so much for him and his family. Having experienced a strong brotherhood with his 1998 championship team, as well as coaching successful Aggies to the NCAA tournament, Nosek said he gets emotional just thinking about his team’s recent successes.
“I’m just so incredibly grateful to have my family be a part of the larger Aggie family. We are indebted to the university for what it has provided us,” Nosek said.
