JC Retirement Gift Commitment To Date: $10,826*

I'm in for $100.

Is there any way to post a poll with the top ideas for the gift so we can decide on a direction? (either from the entire Yard or just those who've committed to contribute?) What are the main ideas? Statue, billboard, painting, gift to new practice facility or Calhoun's cardiac charity? The billboard idea has lost luster for me due to the cost and once it's gone, it's gone, unlike another type of gift or donation. Maybe once people know the direction, they'll commit to joining in. Pretty surprised that only 31 people have signed on out of the thousands of members. No contribution is too small.

How about a poll? Leave it open a week or two and then we'd be have a decision.

I would put up $50

Wish there was more, but $5,000.00+ to a worthy charity is nothing to sneeze at imo, assuming that's where this ends up. It may be that we have to then decide which charity. I think someone else may have mentioned this previously, but I would vote for Autism Speaks as among the charities that JC supports. From what I understand, it one of the most under-funded (especially as compared with cancer and cardiac), and I think the fact that it affects his grandchildren may mean even more to him. Just my .02. I'm in irrespective.

Count me in for $100.

But hey, what has Jim Calhoun done for us lately?

Ashamed of what exactly? Not pledging money to anonymous people on the internet who can't tell you what will be done with the donations?

This really wouldn't be hard to do correctly. Pick one of his charities. Have someone from said charity create an easy way to track donations from this population. Have a week long pledge drive on this site. At the end have said charity announce how much was raised. If you've collected an impressive amount - have someone present an oversized novelty check to someone.

Or take a bunch of money and set it on fire doing something like buying billboard space. Whichever.

I think a charity of some sort would be a good idea. The effects would last a lot longer than a week-long billboard considering he served us for over 1000+ weeks.

I'm in for $100

We’ve been reading this post, and really are happy to see people banding together to honor Coach. First of all, thank you. I'm not saying what you folks are doing is unprecedented, but not many other examples like this come to mind, and the pledged results so far are great. Do not minimize your effort, or what you're capable of.

If the group decides that a gift through the Foundation to support either the Basketball Development Center or the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center is what you’d like to do (and we COMPLETELY understand there are other options being considered), we’d like you to know some things that may influence your decision-making.

We realize that the naming levels on the Basketball Development Center website start at $250,000 and that is likely out of reach for you, even as a group. But we’ve discussed it internally, and would like you to know that you could sponsor a player’s locker with a group gift of $25,000. It would have wording on it honoring coach (that we’d work with you on), should you choose to go that route. Funds raised for that would go to support the Basketball Development Center.

Should you decide to direct your gift toward the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at the UConn Health Center, there are some other options. For example, with a group gift of $25,000, you could help provide for (and name) a cardio-pulmonary bypass pump for minimally invasive valve replacement surgery. You could also name an exam room within the heart station clinic, and there may be other room-naming options available too.

With either option, we must point out in advance that all naming opportunities at the University of Connecticut are subject to approval by the Board of Trustees.

Now, we know a goal of $25,000 is a far cry from where you are now, $5,100. But, honestly, it doesn't seem out of reach. We also wanted to point out that, while some employers do NOT match gifts to athletic facilities (others may, though!), most employers with matching gift policies DO match gifts to something like the cardiology center, and that would count toward the “total” amount raised by the group. You would have to check with your own employers, etc. A good resource is: http://www.matchinggifts.com/uconn/ but it's always prudent to also ask the question at your HR Department.

If you decide to go with either route, we’d be happy to create an online giving page just for your effort, with social media sharing, and we probably could count the gifts that have already been made from links on other Boneyard threads through the exiting Calhoun honor page, assuming they were for the same purpose, of course.

Unlike things like Kickstarter, etc. if you didn’t reach your goal of, say, $25,000, with us, you still would have raised an incredible amount that would go to the respective purpose. With Kickstarter and things like it, projects are typically only funded if they reach goal.

We remain interested in talking to you all, when you coalesce around your idea. Thanks again for considering support of UConn in honor of Coach’s remarkable career. Stay in touch and ask questions if you have them. E-mail is campaign@foundation.uconn.edu

How would you like to find out that your "cardiopulmonary bypass pump" is associated with "The Boneyard?"

LOL. Yeah, that thought did cross my mind. On the other hand, if it was saving my life, not sure I'd care.

I would be happy to kick in $100.00