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About the Fan Drive
The Fan Drive 2002 campaign is a project overseen by the Cardinal Athletic Fund. The CAF is the primary revenue source, along with income generated through football and men's basketball, of the Louisville Athletic Association. The CAF provides funding and support for all 21 varsity programs. Academic support includes scholarships as allowed per the NCAA, academic counseling, and summer and 5th year financial assistance. The Cardinal Athletic Fund is also responsible for the building and upkeep of the superior athletic facilities seen on campus today. Facilities such as Cardinal Park, Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and Cardinal Arena, teamed with future additions such as a new Natatorium, on-campus baseball stadium and state-of-the-art boathouse, help our coaches in the recruitment of world-class athletes. Currently the CAF is made up of over 7,000 members strong. Through our members' annual contributions ranging from $50 to $100,000 and above, U of L student-athletes are provided the opportunity to pursue their academic goals and their athletic dreams, while learning the skills that will prepare them to impact their future communities. Achieving this mission is a tribute to the true spirit of the Cardinal Athletic Fund. To achieve this mission, we are asking all 7,000 of our donors to participate in this unique program. Here's how the Fan Drive works: To help us expand the Cardinal Nation and find ALL U of L supporters, we are asking our membership to recruit their friends, family members, business partners, customers and coworkers to become more involved in the special family that is Louisville Cardinals Athletics. We like to think of it as "Fans Finding Fans." Special Incentives will be rewarded to those donors who participate and sign up new fans into the CAF program. The Goal of the Fan Drive is to: find ALL U of L fans who have not known how to get involved in Cardinal Athletics in the past and educate them on the benefits of joining the Cardinal Athletic Fund Family. The objective is NOT to increase monies, but to increase fans and overall fan involvement. It is known around the nation that Louisville has one of the greatest fan followings of any athletic program in the country. This was evident as more than 25,000 fans followed the football team to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl in sub-zero temperatures the last two years. These same fans, all 40,000 of them, showed up in a monsoon-like rainstorm in the midst of Hurricane Isidore to witness the 26-20 upset of then number four ranked Florida State. Freedom Hall continues to be in the top-5 in attendance year after year and this season promises to break records for attendance. Even more amazing is the fact that nearly all of the $63 million needed to fund Papa John's Cardinal Stadium came from private and corporate donations. Fan support is so crucial to the success of today's athletics programs as the costs continue rise. From cheering on the Cards in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and following the teams to away venues, to the support shown through the over $5 million in annual contributions, Cardinal Fans know how to show their loyalty. Please help us achieve our goal of locating all those Cardinal Fans out there and educating them on how they can help U of L become one of the elite athletics programs in the nation. The Fan Drive runs from October 1 to October 31, 2002. All forms that have been completed in-full and returned to the Cardinal Athletic Fund office by the end of the month of October will be given credit toward incentive prizes. Of course all referrals will be greatly appreciated even after the campaign concludes, however, incentive prizes will only be issued for those forms post-marked by no later than October 31. Incentives will be distributed to all donors who participate. Everyone who participates in this unique new program will receive a gift of appreciation. The gifts are based on how many NEW fans are recruited and signed up as contributing Cardinal Athletic Fund members. The gifts range from a unique U of L license plate & license plate cover to a majestic genuine Fossil Collector's Watch with the official Cardinal logo. We encourage all of our over 7,000 donors to participate in the Fan Drive. We want to send out as many prizes as we can! Incentive prizes will be sent out after the October 31 deadline and once all results have been tallied. All donors who participate are eligible for: an all-expense paid trip to Knoxville, Tennessee to see the Cards take on the Tennessee Volunteers. Everyone who signs up at least one new fan will be entered into a drawing. The lucky person who is drawn will be traveling with Champion Sports Tours to Knoxville on Saturday, January 25. The package includes: two (2) game tickets, lodging on Saturday night at the Downtown Hilton and transportation to & from Knoxville (winner will be responsible for meals and spending money). Increase your chances by signing up as many new donors as possible. The number of times your name is dropped in the hat depends on the number of donors you sign up. |
