Support us
Gifts to the Tucker Center allow us to support scholarships, fellowships, lectures and research that make a difference in the lives of girls and women, their families and communities. Since the founding of the Tucker Center in 1994, we have received substantial financial support from individuals, foundations and organizations. These donors have made significant contributions toward accomplishing our mission of research, education and community outreach on behalf of girls and women in sport. In the space below, we have included information about some of our donors and why they have made a commitment to join us as Friends of the Tucker Center. If you would like to become a Friend of the Tucker Center, please contact us at (612) 625-7327, call the University of Minnesota Foundation at (612) 624-3333, go to the College Development Office site, or to make a gift now click here. We welcome your support.
Individual donors
Mary
Beth Barry uses her time, talents, and treasures to make a
difference in our world. Mary Beth has taught Physical Education and
Religious Studies for over 25 years at her alma mater DeLaSalle
High School. There she has coached boy's soccer and tennis, girl's
basketball on all levels, and is currently the clock operator for boys
and girls soccer and football. She uses the Tucker Center’s research to
keep up with the cutting edge of all that is good in education. She is
happy to report that the research is well-received by her students. Mary
Beth also volunteers in the community at "Sharing and Caring Hands,"
Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and her church, along with regularly
donating blood. Barry says she decided to contribute financially to the
Tucker Center because: "It's the right thing to do--you put your money
where your values are. I'm confident the Tucker Center is doing the
right thing. With my latest contribution, I targeted my donation to the
Eloise Jaeger Scholarship fund so that we can pass along educational
opportunities to others."
Margaret
Chutich, a lawyer with the state Attorney General's
office in criminal appellate practice, was the Minnesota
State High School Champion in tennis in 1975, played varsity
basketball for Stanford her freshman year, and as a
Minnesota Golden Gopher, won several tennis titles including
a Big 10 singles title and a runner-up in doubles. Chutich
is now an avid golfer and still participates in tennis with
a mixed doubles game every week. She says she came to know,
appreciate, and believe in Kane and the Tucker Center
through her participation in the Throw Like a Girl video. As
Chutich remarks: "It is absolutely necessary to support the
Tucker Center as an institute that studies sport and makes
sure that people know the history of girls and women. It's
wonderful that the Tucker Center is at the University of
Minnesota and fills this extremely valuable role."
What
do the following elements have in common? A cross country
road race, a fund raising campaign, a former smoker and a
self described non-athlete. The answer? Katie Lindquist,
who is all of the above and then some. Lindquist's
combination of talent and perseverance resulted in a young
woman determined to chart new trails for herself and other
women. Showing great initiative, Lindquist decided to
fundraise for the Tucker Center in conjunction with her
participation in the annual Race Across America. The end
result was a miraculous 10-day trip by tandem bicycle from
Portland, Oregon, to Gulf Breeze, Florida, and the donation
of an incredible monetary gift to the Tucker Center. When
she first read the Tucker Center newsletter, Lindquist was
thunderstruck with a common sense of purpose: "I recognized
myself and my friends in the Tucker Center's work and I knew
I wasn't alone any more. Subsequent newsletters hit all of
the points of interest to me, and I have been a devotee of
the Tucker Center ever since that time."
Lifelong
educators and parents to three daughters, as well as devoted
grandparents, Van and Mike Mueller are committed to
supporting organizations such as the Tucker Center because
these life-long educators are also life-long advocates for
issues related to girls and women in sport. The Muellers
have been supporters of the Tucker since its inception in
1994. In addition to supporting the Tucker Center, they have
also endowed two scholarships. The first is available to
Native American students at Augsburg College, where Dr.
Mueller taught. The second scholarship fund is housed in the
School of Kinesiology; the award is in honor of their
daughter, Edith Irene Mueller. Edith was a student in the
Recreation and Sport Studies program from 1979 until her
untimely death in 1982. When asked why they contribute
financially to the Tucker Center, they respond: "It is
important that we continue to work towards parity. In order
to do so, we must continue to be vigilant [in our support of
Title IX and women's athletics] so that we do not find
ourselves going backwards in time."
Dr.
Bonnie Parkhouse has provided generous monetary support,
as well as donated her time and energy, to various Tucker
Center projects. Parkhouse, who received her Ph.D. from the
University of Minnesota, is currently a Professor of Sport
and Recreation Management at Temple University, and the
author of numerous books and articles related to women’s
involvement in sport and physical activity. Professor
Parkhouse is also an avid sports participant. She competed
nationally in track and field events during her high-school
years, played basketball and ice hockey during her college
years, and continues to remain active in a variety of
sports. As a noted scholar and educator with a long and
distinguished career, Dr. Parkhouse has seen many
changes—most of them positive—in the field of women’s
athletics. However, she also notes that there is still much
work to be done: "Female athletes are given tremendous
exposure but we still don’t have many women in coaching and
administration." Her support of the Tucker Center furthers
our work to educate, provide research and community outreach
toward the advancement of girls and women in sport.
Foundations and organizations
One of our gifts has come from the Women's Philanthropic Leadership Circle (WPLC). A dedicated group of U of M alumni formed to provide effective financial support to women in educational leadership activities, the WPLC gave an inaugural grant to the Tucker Center to update our groundbreaking research document, Physical Activity & Sport in the Lives of Girls 18 and Under. The Tucker Center furthers the WPLC’s mission by connecting educational research about women’s sports, health and fitness to the daily lives of girls and women. According to Marcia Carthaus, WPLC charter member and retired Director of Special Education: "The Tucker Center is moving life along and looking at best practices … what they are trying to do is to determine where we have been, where we are, and where we should be going."
Other foundations and organizational contributors
- American Association of University Women (national chapter)
- American Association of University Women (Minnesota chapter)
- Boys and Girls Club of Minnesota
- Medtronics
- Minnesota Lynx
- Pfizer
- Philip Morris USA Youth Smoking Prevention
- Otto-Bremer Foundation
- University of Minnesota Graduate School