Super Bowl Sunday was a successful one all around. Almost 112 million people tuned in to watch Peyton Manning and Beyonce at the top of their game in the Super Bowl. 200 of those 111.9 million fans were gathered at the Anaheim White House Restaurant for more than just football, though.

This Super Bowl party was put together by Trish and Kevin Steele, parents of Daniel Steele (BFA/Television and Broadcast Journalism ’15) as a fundraiser for the Dan Steele ’15 Endowed Memorial Scholarship. The silent auction and cover charges raised $16,000 between all of the family and friends that gathered. The silent auction baskets included a lot of great options from tickets to a taping of Live with Jimmy Kimmel, authentic NFL gear, and tickets to other sports events.

All of this information is absolutely amazing when you fully understand the situation. If you dissect that last paragraph you should have some questions. Let me read your mind and answer them for you-

“What does a Super Bowl party have to do with a Dodge College?” As a student, Dan was a producer for Chapman News, a tight end for Panthers football team, and production assistant for the NFL Network. After Dan’s passing, Trish and Kevin leapt at the opportunity to create a scholarship to support Dodge College students in his memory.

“Endowed scholarship? What does that mean?” Endowments are large sums of money that are held in an account that gains interest over time. A percentage of that interest is pulled out each year and, in this case, is given to a student who receives financial aid.

“Well, hold up, free money? Can I receive that scholarship?” This scholarship is open to all Dodge College students who currently receive financial aid. However, Dodge College is not involved in the decision in who receives what scholarship since they are need-based rather than merit-based. That decision is in the hands of the Financial Aid Office.

Clearly, I’m psychic. I hope that you learned something new today!

But seriously, thank you to Trish and Kevin Steele and their family and friends who put this successful event together. Shout out to Professor Pete Weitzner who has also been incredibly dedicated to helping this scholarship get off the ground.