WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- University of Central Missouri Athletics and the University of Central Missouri Alumni Foundation have announced the giving challenges for the second annual day of giving supporting Central Missouri's 17 NCAA Division II programs, spirit squads, and live mascot team. This year's Match Madness is set to take place on Tuesday, March 21st at UCMgives.org. This year's challenges were made possible by a generous lead gift from Ken '86 and Kim Kempker.
 

The inaugural Match Madness brought in over $40,000 from more than 800 donors to bolster scholarships, purchase new team equipment, and fund trips for UCM student-athletes. This year, each program has selected a team-specific effort to support.
 

"Our inaugural day of giving for UCM Athletics was an outstanding success, and we're excited to see what the Mules and Jennies can do this year," Billy Ukrazhenko, UCM Director of Development, said. "Each of the team projects were decided on by the coaches to make an impact on their program and student-athletes. Each donation from our incredible alumni, friends, and family will push our teams towards their goal."
 

UCM Athletics and UCM Alumni Foundation welcome inspiring lead gifts for this year's projects, the first of which comes in the form of a generous gift from Gary '73 and Meredith '73 Black in support of Mules Baseball. To join this year's efforts as a lead gift, please contact Billy Ukrazhenko at ukrazhenko@ucmo.edu or 660-543-4133.
 

The challenges announced by UCM Athletics and UCM Alumni Foundation will offer donors and teams an opportunity to make their donation's impact even larger. This year's challenges include the following:

• Madness Hour: From 2 to 3 p.m. CST, the project that receives the most dollars during this period will be awarded $1,000. This will take place live on UCM Athletics' Facebook page with interviews of student-athletes, coaches, and administrators.
• Generational Challenge: Held all day, the first project to receive a gift from alumni of the past three decades (1990s, 2000s and 2010s) will receive an additional $500!
• Social Media Challenge: Held all day, two lucky winners will be chosen from those who post about their participation on social media using hashtag #UCMMatchMadness. Each winner will receive $500 to be donated to the project of their choice!
• First-Time Donor Challenge: Held all day, two lucky winners will be chosen from those who post their participation and use the hashtag #UCMMatchMadness will receive $500 to be donated to the project of their choice!