Emily K Center Raises $18.85 Million for Game Changer Campaign

DURHAM, N.C. – The Emily Krzyzewski Center has announced the completion of its three-year Game Changer comprehensive fundraising campaign. Goaled at $15 million, the campaign surpassed that by more than $3 million, raising $18.85 million by the campaign's completion on December 31, 2020.

The Game Changer Campaign provided funding to help support Center operations, enhance educational programs, ensure the Center's long-term sustainability, and expand the facility. Due to the success of the campaign:

Construction is underway on a 7,500 sq. ft. building expansion.
The Center's endowment more than doubled.
Seven new, named scholarships were created, including the 'Brotherhood Endowment,' a scholarship created and supported by former Duke Men's Basketball players and managers.
The Center grew from serving 500 students in the first year of the campaign to more than 2,000 today.

"I cannot thank our community enough," said Duke Men's Basketball Head Coach and Founder and Board Chair of the Emily K Center Mike Krzyzewski. "Their support made this possible. It is my hope that, thanks in large part to this campaign, the Emily Krzyzewski Center will be able to support Durham students for many years to come. The Center bears my mother's name. I know she'd be amazed and proud of how far it has come."

Founded in 2006 by Coach K in honor of his late mother, the Emily Krzyzewski Center is a non-profit organization that serves as a college access hub in Durham, propelling academically-focused, K-12 students and graduates toward success in college through its K to College programs. The Center also offers college information and advising support to any local high school student through the Game Plan: College program. Through broader facility partnerships, thousands of additional students and community members use the Center as a place to convene, learn, and grow. The Center's mission is to inspire students to dream big, act with character and purpose, and reach their potential as leaders in the community.

"This campaign was a success thanks to the incredible support from our community, both near and far. We benefited from tremendous leadership in our campaign steering committee. Co-chairs Jane Dimmig and Wayne Holden were instrumental to our success," said Emily K Center Executive Director Adam Eigenrauch. "We were also fortunate to receive generous support from many individuals and organizations, helping us exceed our goal. The Krzyzewski family, Joel Marcus and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., EmergeOrtho, and RTI International are just a few who really helped take our campaign to the next level."

Emily K Center Fact Sheet

General Information
• The Emily K Center was born out of a desire to address the needs of Durham's first-generation students from under-resourced backgrounds. These students have the talent and desire to complete a college degree but frequently encounter systemic barriers to achieving that goal.

• The Center works to empower students on their paths to college through four core programs with a focus on academic readiness and college advising. These programs serve students in first grade through college completion.

• When the Center first opened in 2006, it served 38 students in one program. Today, it serves more than 2,000 students annually.

• Approximately 70% of Emily K Center students will be first-generation college students.

• Nearly 100% of the Emily K Center's Scholars to College program graduates have been accepted to college.

• The Emily K Center recently completed the three-year Game Changer Campaign, the first fundraising campaign in its history, raising $18.85 million. Funding from the campaign will allow the Center to build a 7,500 sq. ft. building expansion, boost its endowment, and help support programs and operations.

Emily K Center History
• Duke University Men's Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski is the founder and inspiration for the Emily K Center.

• Like many of the students served at the Center, Coach K was a first-generation college student.

• Coach K's mother only had an eighth grade education and his father only went to two years of high school, but education was of paramount importance to the Krzyzewski family. Coach K's mother, Emily, firmly believed that education could change lives. It was with her encouragement that Coach K attended West Point.

• With Coach K's support, the decision was made to name 'The Emily Krzyzewski Center' after his mother in honor of her ardent belief in education and the important role she played in his life.

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Emily K Center Raises $18.85 Million for Game Changer Campaign

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