CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – For 1,965 minutes, the Bulldog community is barking loud!
DeSales University Athletics' third annual Bulldog Bark-A-Thon, its day of giving, began at 8:00 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, and runs through 4:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. As of Thursday, more than $60,000 had already been raised!
Bark-A-Thon gives alumni, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends a direct way to support the student-athletes who wear DeSales across their chests. Gifts go toward training, travel, equipment, technology and team-building experiences. Donors pick the area they want to support, and 10 percent of every gift also goes to the Bulldog Athletic Fund, which benefits every DeSales student-athlete.
What teams are working toward
Each team has set its own goal, and the needs are sport-specific. Baseball is raising money for new batting cages behind the left field fence at Weiland Park. Men's Soccer hopes to update its GPS athlete tracking system, a roughly $8,000 upgrade. Golf is working toward a golf simulator and its spring break trip to Pinehurst, and Tennis hopes to buy a racket stringer and fund a spring break training trip.
Cheerleading hopes to buy new mats and props as it prepares for the MAC Championship. Volleyball is working to improve its fueling station and provide recovery and wellness items for away-game travel. Field Hockey wants new travel gear and upgraded training equipment, while the Esports team wants to upgrade its computers and possibly attend a LAN event.
Every team has a donor goal, and the donor count is by person, not by dollar amount, so a gift of any size helps. Spouses and partners who each want to be counted should make separate gifts.
Want to support every team?
Donors who don't want to choose a single sport have multiple options that benefit all of DeSales Athletics.
The Bulldog Athletic Fund supports student-athletes across all sports, providing the resources, equipment and opportunities Bulldogs need to succeed on and off the field.
The Sports Information Fund goes toward the upkeep and upgrading of the equipment used to record stats at games, along with the multimedia tools that make visual coverage of every DeSales team possible, including live broadcasts, photos, and videos.
Other department-wide options also include the DeSales University Athletic Endowment and the Athletics Capital.
Challenge gifts add to the impact
Alumni and friends of the program have put up challenge gifts that unlock when teams reach donor targets. Mark '00 and Kim (Guman) '00 Watermasysk will unlock $7,000 for Men's Basketball once 100 donors give, and another $7,000 for Women's Basketball at 70 donors, in honor of Coach's 700th win. Steve Van Natten '90 and Shelleymarie Magan '98 will add $5,000 for Men's Basketball once 10 donors give $500 or more.
Additional challenge gifts are ready to be unlocked for Women's Soccer ($1,000 at 55 donors) and Softball ($500 at 50 donors). Men's Lacrosse has two: Dylan Valinchus '21, '22G will add $250 once 75 donors give, and Tom Carr '08 will unlock $1,000 at 85 donors. Mark Staudenmeier '83 will also unlock $500 for Men's Cross Country & Track & Field once 35 donors give, and another $500 for Women's Cross Country & Track & Field at 45 donors. Vice President Brian Mauro is also taking part in the Student Challenge, donating $1 for every student gift, up to $250.
There are prizes too. Alumni and family and friends who give $25 or more, and students and faculty/staff who give $10 or more, are entered into raffles for DeSales swag baskets. Donors who give $100 or more are entered for a chance to win one of two twosomes at The Steel Club, including green fees, carts and lunch.
How to give
Gifts start at $5 and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Donors can also set up a recurring gift, and many employers offer matching-gift programs. To make a gift, visit https://engage.desales.edu/portal/barkathon-giving, choose a team or fund, and give before the clock runs out at 4:45 p.m. Friday.
Questions about Bark-A-Thon can be directed to Carrie Gradin at carrie.gradin@desales.edu or 610-282-1100, ext. 3556.
Follow along!
View the up-to-date totals and challenges tracker here: https://engage.desales.edu/portal/barkathon-2026
Teams are posting new videos on their social media pages as they hit giving milestones. Fans can follow @DSUBulldogs and their favorite team's account on Instagram, and join the conversation with #Barkathon, #DSUbarkathon and #BarkLoud.
