Sum LEF Drive! Blue Jays who volunteered for the LEF fall phone campaign enjoy a “pool party” on the roof of Jesuit on the final evening after calling their classmates. In addition to a wonderful 360-degree view of the city, some Blue Jays enjoy cooling off their feet in the temporary pool while the existing one undergoes a major renovation from fresh to saltwater.

The final results of this intense three-day campaign, one in which connecting with classmates was just as important as securing pledges, revealed that 1,003 alumni pledged $346,859. Over the three nights, a total of 178 alumni volunteered to call classmates.

As of Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2,076 alumni representing graduation years 1937 through 2012 had pledged a total of $683,141 to the LEF drive. Of that amount, $308,106 has been donated by approximately 1,000 Blue Jays.

There were several alumni who volunteered all three evenings. Many of the volunteers left Jesuit with some sort of Blue Jay-logo memento as a “thank you” for a job well done.

“The alumni were incredibly generous and our volunteers are a close knit bunch of guys who really do enjoy contacting their classmates,” said Snapper Garrison ’81, who serves as the 2013-14 chairman of the drive. “Our volunteers not only connect or reconnect with their classmates, but also they are not shy about asking for a donation to this important drive. I would say that the vast majority of Jesuit graduates understand the importance of this campaign so they do not mind being called once a year.”

The LEF drive runs the entire 2014 fiscal year which began July 1, 2013 and will end June 30, 2014. In spring, a second phone drive will be held, the results of which could establish new records in terms of number of alumni donating as well as the amount of contributions.