Supporters of the West Virginia University Mountaineer Marching Band will be able to double their impact during WVU’s Day of Giving on March 3, thanks to the Maier Foundation. They have pledged $250,000 to match donations made to support the Pride Practice Facility.
“Our board is excited to provide support to the Pride of West Virginia Marching Band,” said Brad Rowe, president of the Maier Foundation. “Having a permanent and dedicated facility will enhance each band member’s educational experience.”
One of the university’s most recognizable icons, the practice facility will be a much-needed upgrade for The Pride of West Virginia – their current practice space is a parking lot at WVU’s Coliseum. The new facility will be located on the Evansdale campus, replacing Hawley Field, the old home of WVU Baseball.
The facility, which will be built in three phases, includes a football-field-sized turf field, a pavilion to protect users from the elements, lighting and sound systems, and climate-controlled storage for instruments and uniforms.
“We are thankful to the Maier Foundation for their support of a home for the Pride of West Virginia,” said College of Creative Arts Dean Keith Jackson. “The Mountaineer Marching Band is an essential element of WVU’s character and pride and we are eager to provide them with the space they deserve.”
Day of Giving is a 24-hour online event, organized by the WVU Foundation, that encourages WVU alumni and friends to support the University’s greatest priorities and opportunities. To participate, visit https://dayofgiving.wvu.edu/.
“Day of Giving is one day where the entire WVU community comes together to show support,” Jackson said. “We know that the Mountaineer Marching Band has a large fanbase, and we are counting on them to show up on March 3 so we can make the most of the Maier Foundation’s support.”
The Maier Foundation was founded in 1958 by Clarksburg native William J. Maier, Jr. Maier graduated from Huntington High School and went on to attend Harvard University and Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. He later graduated from Harvard Law in 1928. Maier practiced law in the Charleston area and invested in natural gas and merchandise warehousing.
The Maier Foundation has been a generous supporter of WVU, including a gift of $85,000 to WVU’s School of Music in support of its All-Steinway Campaign, All Keyed Up. The Maier Foundation has given $1.2 million to establish the deanship at the WVU College of Law, a donation of $1 million to establish the William J. Maier, Jr. Chair of Research at WVU’s Charleston Division School of Medicine and a $300,000 grant to help students in need after the 2016 flooding.
Maier’s motivation to give back to others was rooted in his mother’s advice to "do good with all the money you can spare.” In 2008, the Maier Foundation was named the WVU Foundation’s Outstanding Philanthropic Foundation.