The University of Wisconsin Foundation covered Bascom Hill with lawn flamingos for the 10th annual Fill the Hill fundraiser Friday. The event raises money for critical needs at UW, using the lawn decoration to signify donations per UW tradition.
Donations were open from 5 p.m. on Thursday until 5 p.m. on Friday. “Flamingle on the Hill” — a free event on Bascom hill with activities and games — took place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday according to the event’s page.
Each flamingo that students see on Bascom Hill represents a minimum donation of $5, according to the website.
The Fill the Hill fundraiser and other efforts like the Day of the Badger are vital to growth and innovation at UW, Senior Director of Development at the UW Foundation Joshua Woolfolk said.
“They’re hugely important to our ability to support some of the work happening on campus,” Woolfolk said. “Philanthropy makes a huge impact on what the university is able to do and how we’re able to serve students in the work of diversity and equity.”
Donors can choose which campus cause to contribute to over 90 areas participating in the event this year, according to the Fill the Hill website. The Chancellor’s Annual Fund, the Great People Annual Scholarship Fund and the Raimey-Noland Diversity, Equity and Inclusion fund are highlighted as featured areas of support.
The tradition of placing flamingos on Bascom Hill began in 1979 when students of the Pail and Shovel Party covered Bascom Hill in 1,008 lawn flamingos after they won the student-government election, according to the Wisconsin Alumni Association website.
Since then, the prank has become tradition for UW and the city of Madison. In 2015, plastic flamingos became the official bird of the city, and the local Madison Forward soccer club used this imagery as inspiration for their branding.
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Supporters of Fill the Hill can also participate by adding themselves to the digital mosaic through the fundraiser’s online photo booth.
Fill the Hill was just one activity that took place during homecoming this year, according to the 2022 homecoming calendar.
“There’s a lot of energy and pride towards the university, so it’s a great way to do a day of giving,” Fill the Hill marketing coordinator Mei Li Brown said.
