BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Athletics joined the campus community in celebrating the annual WKU Day of Giving – a 24-hour fundraising initiative dedicated to supporting students, programs and opportunities across The Hill – on Tuesday, March 31.
WKU Athletics saw tremendous engagement from fans, alumni and supporters of the Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers, with over $237,000 raised from gifts made by 165 donors as part of the event. WKU Athletics more than doubled its total numbers from the previous WKU Day of Giving, and every sport program received support during the event.
"WKU Day of Giving was a huge success this year," said Kat Smith, WKU Senior Associate Athletic Director of Development & Ticket Sales/Executive Director of HAF. "On the Athletics front, every single sport program benefited from this initiative, and that was our goal. We wanted to highlight our student-athletes, coaches and donors to show the impact one, unified day can make. Thank you to our generous donors and alums who truly showed up for WKU Day of Giving 2026!"
Contributions made to WKU Athletics during the WKU Day of Giving – which was in its third year – will directly support more than 350 Hilltopper and Lady Topper student-athletes across 16 varsity programs through the HAF Impact Fund or sport-specific enhancement funds, helping provide resources in areas such as scholarships, nutrition, academic support, travel, championship-level experiences and more.
The WKU Day of Giving also marked the launch of the "Doc E Difference" Fundraising Campaign, which aims to raise $50,000 to match a $50,000 gift from donor and alum Steve Parker to name WKU's athletic training room in Houchens-Smith Stadium in honor of longtime athletic trainer Bill "Doc E" Edwards. For more information on Edwards or the "Doc E Difference" Fundraising campaign, visit WKUSports.com/DocEDifference.
In total, the 2026 WKU Day of Giving saw $719,398 raised with the support of nearly 900 donors. For more information on the 2026 WKU Day of Giving, click HERE.
To support WKU Athletics, click HERE.
How to follow WKU Athletics: For all the latest on WKU Athletics, follow @WKUSports on X and Instagram, as well as facebook.com/WKUAthletics, or visit WKUSports.com.
Western Kentucky University Athletics
- Champions Climb Here
- WKU Athletics
- Athletic Director
- Academic Services
- Annual Report
- Athletic Communications
- Athletic Hall of Fame
- Athletic Training
- Big Red
- CLIMB Program - NIL
- Compliance
- Facilities
- Financial Reports
- For Students
- Student Employment
- Forms/Requests
- Book Big Red
- Donation Requests
- Site Feedback
- For Fans
- Hilltopper Highlights
- Gameday Promotions
- Alumni Tailgates
- Big Red's Rascals
- Basketball Gameday
- Football Gameday
- Mobile Tickets
- Travel Center
- Tickets
- Give
