FOCA Corner

Who are we?

We are Friends of Cal Aquatics — a group of alumni and friends of the University of California, Berkeley who have come together to help Cal’s aquatics programs leverage their current strengths and momentum to build a future of unprecedented success.

Many members of Friends of Cal Aquatics are former student-athletes or current or past coaches of one or more of the aquatics teams. Many members are simply Cal Aquatics fans. All of us, however, appreciate the opportunity to join together with others who share our passion for these sports in order to give back to the programs that have given us so much.

Chair
Peter Schnugg

Executive Committee
Jim Bartko — Senior Associate AD/Development
Rick Cronk
John Kates
Teresa Kuehn Gould — Executive Associate Athletic Director, SWA Olympic Sports
Don McQuade — Vice Chancellor, University Relations

Board
Par Arvidsson
Heidi Brown
Anna Cutino
John Felix
Scott Greenwood
Bennett Indart
Bob Kahl
Leslie Quist
Alicia Walker Rowell
Cathy Spieker
Melanie vonHartitzsch
Buzz Wiesenfeld
Lynn Wittstock

Coaches
Mike Bottom — Men’s Swimming
Rich Corso — Head Women’s Water Polo
Kirk Everist — Head Men’s Water Polo
Whitney Hite — Women’s Swimming
Thomas Davidson — Men's and Women's Diving
Boyd LaChance — Men’s Water Polo
Teri McKeever — Head Women’s Swimming
Nort Thornton — Head Men’s Swimming

Athletic Department Staff
Andrea Campos — Major Gifts Officer
Josh Flushman — Olympic Sports Operations

Mission Statement

The mission of Friends of Cal Aquatics is to promote the highest levels of team and personal achievement by helping to ensure that every participating student-athlete is given the chance to do his or her best, both in the water and in the classroom. Accomplishing this will involve making each of the four aquatics programs permanently self-supporting.

We pursue our mission by soliciting annual and special gifts from individuals and organizations who recognize the great value of Cal Aquatics not only to the swimmers, divers, and water polo players themselves, but also to the larger University community.

How your gift can help

The distinguished record of Cal Aquatics, however secure it may seem today, must not be taken for granted. The vast majority of the operating budget for the swimming and water polo programs comes from the athletic department. Cal, along with the state of California, will surely face severe budgetary constraints for the foreseeable future. For this reason, we can no longer rely on the University to provide adequate funding to preserve these programs’ traditions of excellence. 

In response to today’s austere financial climate, Friends of Cal Aquatics solicits annual and special gifts to help provide the scholarships, operational funds, equipment, and facilities necessary for producing world-class aquatics teams. If Cal is not only to remain a strong competitor in these sports, but also to reach the highest level of achievement, we must rely on the full support and generous investment of alumni, friends, and families, as well as companies, foundations, and other organizations.

Cal Aquatics Scholarships

Endowed athletic scholarships provide the Cal Aquatics programs in perpetuity, with important and vital funds used to support their pursuit of world-class aquatics programs by providing the necessary financial support to recruit the very best student athletes.

Scholarship endowments are created through special gifts of which the principal amount is not violated, and the accumulated interest year to year is re-invested, and a percentage is utilized to off set the annual costs associated with providing qualified student athletes with tuition, books, and housing expenses.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are many ways to help the Friends of Cal Aquatics achieve their mission. One way is to volunteer your time or services. There are numerous volunteer opportunities available throughout the year and we would love to have your support!

If you would like to assist us in putting on one of our numerous “Friend raising” events or provide support in some other manner please contact us:

Friends of Cal Aquatics
2223 Fulton St., 3rd Floor
Berkeley, CA 94720-4424
Tele: (510) 643-2746
Email: calaquatics@berkeley.edu

Donor Recognition/Gift Program

Annual fund donations to Cal Aquatics provide the necessary revenue stream to help cover the yearly operational expenses incurred by the aquatics programs. We value immensely the support we receive every year from our donors.

One way we would like to thank all of our loyal donors is through our donor gift program. We are happy to send you a gift corresponding to your donation amount so that we can all express our “true blue” Cal spirit!

To participate in this program simply fill out and return the enclosed donation gift card form with your donation. If you make a donation online, simply download the PDF form from this site and send it to us. Your gift will be on the way!

Note: Due to IRS regulations you are required to inform us if you want a gift—we can not send a gift for every donation we receive. The reason is that by accepting “benefits” from us (a gift item such as a hat, t-shirt, sweatshirt, etc.) your tax deductible donation amount has been decreased by the “retail value” of the item which you receive.

Please contact us if you have any questions about our program or your tax deductible donation amount. Thanks again for your generosity.