Approximately $23,000 was generated for RN to BSN nursing scholarships at Mayville State University through the efforts of Giving Hearts Day on Thursday, Feb. 11. This amount includes individual contributions, as well as matching funds.

“We are thrilled that donors have taken this opportunity to make a difference in the need for nursing professionals in the local area, as well as in the state of North Dakota and beyond,” said Dena Bergstrom, MSU Foundation annual giving associate/phonathon coordinator and coordinator of Mayville State’s Giving Hearts Day activities. “The generosity of donors, combined with the matching funds provided by the Dakota Medical Foundation and the state of North Dakota, is making a huge impact on students enrolled in the RN to BSN nursing program at Mayville State.”

Giving Hearts Day gifts of $10 or more (up to a total of $4,000) were matched by the Dakota Medical Foundation. Since this year’s contributions to the MSU Foundation through Giving Hearts Day are designated for scholarships, all donations will also receive a 50% match from the state of North Dakota’s Matching Fund for Enhanced Academics.

This is the third time the Mayville State University Foundation has participated in Giving Hearts Day, a 24-hour online give-a-thon for non-profit organizations in western Minnesota and North Dakota. The event is hosted every year by the Dakota Medical Foundation (DMF) and Impact Foundation to help participating charities dramatically increase fundraising success by creating awareness and a 24-hour window of participation that spurs donors to action. This year marked a record amount raised through the event overall, more than $8 million.

“It is an honor to have been selected to participate in Giving Hearts Day again this year. We are grateful for the matching gifts provided by the Dakota Medical Foundation and the state of North Dakota, and we truly appreciate all of our generous donors who have supported the RN to BSN online nursing program at Mayville State,” said Dena Bergstrom. “

Through the online RN to BSN nursing program, Mayville State is educating nurses at the baccalaureate degree level. To be admitted to the program, an individual must have earned an associate degree in nursing. Classes in the RN to BSN nursing program are offered exclusively online, and were first offered in the fall semester of 2014. The first students to complete the program graduated at the end of the Fall Semester of 2016.