DAYTON, Ohio — Donation matches and challenges are underway at many Ohio universities this week to provide opportunities for those dreaming of going to college.

The University of Dayton held the One Day, One Dayton event Wednesday, the annual fundraising and donating day for the school. The majority of the funds will go towards student scholarships for students like Logan Tate.

Tate isn’t used to throwing the football

“I’m usually deflecting these," he said.

The senior is a corner for the school’s football team. He said being a part of the team has been instrumental in his time as a Flyer.

“It really emphasizes the community that we have here," Tate said. "It’s not just students. Athletes aren’t separate from each other. Everyone is integrated," Tate said.

But football is not a scholarship sport at UD, and Tate wasn’t sure college was something he could afford on his own.

“It would not have been possible for me to come to Dayton if not for all the donations and the opportunities that the donors make possible here," Tate said.

Tate received significant education, merit and need-based scholarships that allowed him to attend his dream school. Now, as a senior, he’s encouraging others to donate when they can.

“You gotta think of everything that you’re involved in on campus, the different buildings that are awesome here, and the different opportunities that you’ve been given and then realize that all of that’s been possible through donations of any size," he said.

And of course, the One Day, One Dayton event included all sorts of activities, like baseball, axe throwing, and putt-putt to get students involved, as well as a friendly game of Jenga with university President Eric Spina.

“Shout out to President Spina. He’s awesome," Tate said. "He’s always engaged what the community, the students.”

Spina said each donation is makes a difference for the students.

“Every donation, whether it’s a dollar or a thousand dollars or a million dollars, is basically saying we believe in the university and they should know their university is grateful to them for staying connected and helping us get better every day," Spina said.

That’s certainly the case for Tate.

“It’s made me grateful," Tate said. "And it’s the reason why I’m going to hold the door open for future Flyers and give back every year that I make my donation because they made it possible for me, so there’s no reason that I shouldn’t make it possible for Flyers to come through.”

The university’s goal is to have 4,000 individual donors. Last year, UD raised $800,000 in one day. You can donate here for One Day One Dayton.