College of Public Health and Health Professions alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends rallied on February 17 to support the college’s education, research and service activities with 311 gifts totaling more than $112,000.

Gator Nation Giving Day, UF’s one-day giving campaign, encouraged Gators from all over to “Stand Up and Holler” for UF. The 24-hour campaign raised more than $20 million from 26,054 gifts.

At PHHP, challenges in every department led by alumni, department chairs, faculty and friends helped propel giving by matching gifts, dollar for dollar. Rolf and Anne Kuhns led a challenge in the department of physical therapy to raise funds for the Rolf M. and Anne T. Kuhns Endowed Scholarship Fund for Physical Therapy, supporting students who display clinical excellence.

The Kuhns matched gifts made to the fund on Giving Day 5:1, up to $2,500. Donors enthusiastically responded with nearly $5,000 raised that day for the scholarship.

Longtime UF supporters, Rolf, a 1972 graduate of the physical therapy program, and Anne, who received a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1970 and a master’s focused on computer science in education in 1975, were motivated early on to give back after multiple scholarships helped them graduate from UF free of debt.

“Our hope is that through our five-fold matching gift we can influence new donors to begin the process of giving back, thus laying a foundation for the next generation of significant philanthropists,” they said. “By making a five-year commitment to repeat the matching offer, we hope participants will develop a lifelong habit of supporting the University of Florida.”