EDIT: minor title error, this was the 9th not 8th annual drive! 😅

The best thing about the is the Community, and an important extension of that is its generosity. The tradition continued in our 26th charitable drive, the 2023 Holiday Drive: Toys & Children's Hospitals!

Since 2013, readers

Intro

The 9th annual Holiday Drive raised $18,000.00!

Take a moment to appreciate .

Process:

This was the second year as a federally-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, OurCFB (). The change opened-up more opportunities alongside more formalities.

That meant a slower process of getting funds, then distributing them:

• PayPal waives all fees because we're a 501(C)(3). The trade-off is a delay in transfers: to save on their own fees they will send it to us in-bulk, once per month. That results in a donation that arrives late in the month each month, with the timing of the Holiday Drive, that means we get all the money by late January, then transfer it to the OurCFB bank account.

• Dispersing funds was slightly delayed by working out which hospital was associated with Army West Point, we confirmed it with their athletic department today and the final donation was made.

All money received was split evenly between Toys For Tots and Children's Hospitals.

Donation Breakdown:

Donations to Children's Hospitals

The $9,000.00 is usually divided among the top-3 most generous fanbases, but we had a tie for 3rd and opted to divide that amount between the two schools:

• 50% to Army

• 30% to Tulane

• 20% split between Notre Dame and South Dakota State

Notre Dame and South Dakota State returned, joined by newcomers Army West Point and Tulane. Although 3 of these programs do not have a medical school, we were able to identify which children's hospitals their athletic/university benefits favor.

So the Children's Hospital donations were:

First place: Army West Point Black Knights

• $4,500.00 to St. Luke's Cornwall, Newburgh (Army West Point)

Second place: Tulane Green Wave

• $2,700.00 to Children's Hospital New Orleans (Tulane)

Third place (TIE): Notre Dame Fighting Irish

• $900.00 to Beacon Children's Hospital, South Bend (Notre Dame)

Third place (TIE): South Dakota State

• $900.00 to Sanford Children's Hospital Sioux Falls (South Dakota State)

Finally:

1. Thanks to all of you who DONATED

2. Thanks to all of you who HELPED

3. Thanks for making a great COMMUNITY

We did it again, !

AMA FORMAT: at the mods set up the AMA thread so our guest can just show up at a scheduled time and start answering; answers begin at 1pm ET on Tuesday (5/21) by !

ANDY STAPLES, National CFB Expert

Welcome back Andy Staples!

Andy Staples is a seasoned journalist known for his comprehensive coverage of college football at On3. As the host of "Andy Staples On3," he leads a daily show dedicated to dissecting the most significant stories within the sport. With his deep knowledge and insightful commentary, Staples offers fans a nuanced understanding of the ever-evolving landscape of college football.

Links:

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Andy Staples will be here to answer your questions on Tuesday (5/21) at 1pm ET!