Phoenix Club announces second year of Worsley Family Match

Cecil Worsley III ’86 and Joanna Worsley ‘87, are supporting the Phoenix Club with the second year of the Worsley Family Match.

“It was so exciting to see the success of last year and the response from our former student-athletes,” Cecil Worsley says. “It is so important to keep the funding up for our athletic programs so we can compete at the highest level. And as you know Elon is close to my heart.”

Throughout October, the Worsleys will match any gift of $50 or more made to the Phoenix Club by former student-athletes 2-to-1.

How It Works:

Make a gift of $50 or more to the Phoenix Club or designate a gift to a specific sport during the month of October and the Worsleys will match the gift 2-to-1. Qualifying gifts include cash, online gifts, recurring gifts and payments on any pledge made since June 1, 2012.

For example: When a student-athlete gives $50 to the Phoenix Club in October, the Worsleys will give $100. Give $500 and the Worsleys will give $1000.

Former Elon student-athletes can choose to make an unrestricted gift to the Phoenix Club to support student-athlete scholarships or designate their gift to a specific athletic program. Gifts of $50 or more qualify the donor for membership in the Phoenix Club and entitle the donor to appropriate benefits.

In 2011, the first year of the Worsley Match, more than 250 former student-athletes answered the challenge, making gifts that totaled more than $105,000. With the help of the Worsley Match, annual giving by former student-athletes to the Phoenix Club rose from 9 percent to 15 percent in 2011-12.

A former member of the golf team, Cecil Worsley has been a loyal supporter of Elon athletics for many years. In September 2009, Elon dedicated the W. Cecil Worsley III Golf Training Center on South Campus, funded through a generous gift from the Worsley family. The facility serves as the headquarters for both the men’s and women’s golf programs and includes an indoor practice area with hitting bays and a computerized swing analysis center as well as a putting area and players’ lounge.

The Worsleys are members of the Phoenix Club IMPACT Circle and The Elon Society Founder’s Circle. The couple resides in Wilmington, N.C., and their son, Cecil IV, is an Elon senior.

Interested in making a gift to Elon today? Visit the secure Phoenix Club online giving page.