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Thank-a-Thon Student-athletes representing five of the University of Virginia's 25 athletics programs have participated in the annual VAF Thank-a-thons this fall. Over 80 student-athletes from UVA's men's lacrosse, softball, men's basketball, baseball and men's tennis teams volunteered their time to make personal calls or write thank you notes to Virginia Athletics Foundation (VAF) donors during these call evenings. Cavalier student-athletes have contacted more than 1,000 VAF donors, and four ad- ditional teams will be making calls before the end of the semester. Third year men's baseball player Connor Jones stated, "Without donor support many of the things student-athletes do daily wouldn't be possible. We cannot say thank you enough." First year women's softball player Erika Osherow noted, "I am so thankful for our donors giving me the opportunity to play softball at the collegiate level and providing me the opportunity to receive one of the best educations in the country. It is awesome to have people who care so much about Virginia athletics that are willing to give and provide us with facilities and experiences that I will remember for the rest of my life." The tradition of calling donors to thank them for their support dates back more than a decade and provides a great opportunity for student-athletes and donors to connect directly. The program was created to emphasize how members of the VAF provide invaluable support for more than 650 UVA student-athletes. Every gift has a positive impact on the ability of student-athletes to succeed, not only in competition, but also in the classroom and the community. The UVA athletics department is a self-sustaining department of the University of Virginia that relies heavily on philanthropic giving to meet funding needs. Contributions to UVA athletics through the VAF are used to support scholarships, the Athletics Academic Affairs program, a portion of the operational budget for each team, as well as all athletic facility projects. Members of the UVA baseball team participated in a VAF Thank-a-thon.