Avoiding the goat
People buy insurance to protect themselves if something unexpected comes their way – say, a tornado, a fire, an out-of-control car, a goat.
A goat?
Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell gladly pays goat insurance to Newman Vice President for Advancement J.V. Johnston at City Hall.
The Newman University Advancement Department created a monthlong fundraising campaign in April where students, alumni, donors and other friends of the university were entered into a drawing to win a goat – unless they paid to get out of it.
The campaign, dubbed “The Goat Insurance Challenge,” asked participants to donate a minimum of $10 to the Newman Fund, which raises money each year for scholarships and other programs for Newman students. For every donation, the donor not only got out of the drawing, but also could nominate others through social media to win the goat or make a donation themselves.
The campaign raised about $5,000 for the Newman Fund and made the goat, “Freddy,” who was on loan from a nearby farm, pretty popular in the process. Freddy even made an appearance at Wichita City Hall, where Newman officials informed Mayor Jeff Longwell that his goat insurance payment had not yet been made.
The mayor, like most people, happily made a donation. Freddy, like most goats, happily returned to the farm.
To read more on this story and watch coverage from KWCH 12, visit go.newmanu.edu/goat.