On behalf of the SIUE Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, I would like to ask for your assistance as we begin planning for our annual Red & Black Benefit.  The Red & Black Benefit is the SIUE Athletic department’s largest fundraiser and includes a live and silent auction. This initiative strives to eliminate financial constraints placed on student-athlete scholarships and experiences to help our student-athletes achieve their academic and athletic goals.  

The Benefit will be held April 26, 2024 at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, and we need your help! All donations for our silent are greatly appreciated and a portion of each are eligible for tax deductions. We appreciate any donation you are willing to give; a gift certificate to your business, a product you sell, a service you provide or a monetary gift used towards our live or silent auction.   

In past years, our athletics fundraiser was an overwhelming success with over 300 attendees from across the Illinois and St. Louis area. Your support takes our event to the next level by providing the programming needed to entertain our guests. That support will be prominently featured at the event in our program “support our supporters” that will list contact details for each business.  

The SIUE Athletics program has made major strides forward as we continue to expand our footprint nationally. By donating a product or service for the Red & Black Benefit, you will be enhancing our student-athlete experience at SIUE. Community and regional support are vital to our success both in the classroom and within each of our sports programs. Competing at a NCAA Division I institution allows our student-athletes to have the opportunity to participate at the highest level, not just academically, but also athletically. As we continue to provide an increasing number of opportunities for our student-athletes, I would like to ask for your support of our Red & Black Benefit.  

Our student-athletes continue to strive for excellence on and off the field. Recently, the NCAA released its graduation success rates and not only did SIUE finish first in the State of Illinois for all public institutions, our student athletes were ranked 1st among public institutions in the Ohio Valley Conference AND we are ranked fifth nationally. These same athletes also marked their 32nd consecutive semester with a cumulative grade point average of better than 3.0 in the spring of 2022. These achievements are monumental and allow our department to obtain both regional and national recognition.  

Thank you for considering our request to assist with the student-athlete experience at SIUE.  

Go Cougars!