Thomas Receives $300,000
Challenge from Harold Alfond
Pledge to be matched by the College’s fund-raising efforts

         Thomas College received a surprise challenge of $300,000 from Harold Alfond during a dedication ceremony of the new Harold Alfond Athletic Center. This latest challenge comes two years after Alfond pledged $1.25 million for the construction of the athletic center.

         Conrad Ayotte, chair of the board of trustees, said Mr. Alfond’s generosity is overwhelming given that the New England philanthropist had already donated $1.25 million in 2004: “I am honored that Mr. Alfond believes in Thomas College. The Harold Alfond Athletic Center is the single most important thing we have accomplished in all my time at Thomas, and the facility has become a reality because of the leadership of Mr. Alfond,” said Ayotte.
         Alfond committed an additional $300,000 to the Thomas Challenge: Guaranteeing the Future campaign during a dedication ceremony last week where more than 400 community members, and Thomas students, alumni, faculty and staff were in attendance. His challenge pledge is contingent on Thomas matching the $300,000 within 40 days.

         Ayotte said the College will be successful in meeting the goal: “I have every confidence that Thomas will meet Mr. Alfond’s challenge. He has reinvigorated our fund-raising efforts with his latest pledge, and we plan to work night and day to meet his expectations.”
         The new 38,000 square-foot field house is a prominent addition to Thomas’ 70-acre campus. It features a three-court surface with synthetic flooring, jogging track, comprehensive fitness center, multipurpose aerobic exercise room and men’s and women’s locker rooms.

         The facility is the centerpiece of a $9.6 million campaign that also includes funds for scholarship endowment and annual operations. The Thomas Challenge: Guaranteeing the Future campaign is the largest in the College’s history and was launched in response to strategic planning that calls for doubling the size of the undergraduate division from 500 to nearly 1,000 students over a 10-year period.

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