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ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University’s student chapter of Ducks Unlimited has been named to its Sweet 16 list of top-producing volunteer university chapters throughout the nation. This elite group is considered the best of the best when it comes to fundraising and overall chapter strength.

“We are so excited to be in the Sweet 16 again and hopefully we will be for many more years to come,” said Alisa Moore, a pre-nursing major from Lumberton and president of the student chapter. “And we are grateful to Rich Courville for allowing us to host all of our events there.”

"Ducks Unlimited's university program continues to be a vital part of our organization's mission,” said David Schuessler, DU's national director of event fundraising. “It is a valued revenue generator for our mission, as well as an important source of organizational awareness and leadership. I congratulate not only the Sweet 16 chapter volunteers but all college students who have chosen to support DU through university chapters, and I encourage those who have not attended an event to come share in the excitement and fun!"

To qualify for the 2015 Sweet 16 competition, chapters had to raise more than $25,000 during the calendar year. In 2015, university chapters across the nation raised $1.5 million dollars for the ducks; this was the single largest fundraising year in university chapter program history. The Sweet 16 chapters were responsible for raising $925,000 alone, and the ÃÛÌÒÊÓƵ University chapter raised nearly $27,000 in 2015 to support DU’s conservation work.

These chapters earned spots on the Sweet 16 list out of the more than 100 DU university chapters nationwide. DU’s event fundraising system has become a model for other conservation organizations around the world and has funded a significant portion of the more than 13.6 million acres of wetlands and associated habitat DU has conserved since 1937.

The 2015 Varsity chapters also have the distinction of being honored during DU’s 79th National Convention in Anchorage, Alaska, June 1-5, with many chapter representatives in attendance.
        
“College students across the country are showing that the future of waterfowl and wetlands are important to them,” Schuessler said. “I’m inspired by the number of college students that see the need for conservation and do something about it. I would like to personally thank all our Sweet 16 chapters for their achievement, and I look forward to seeing them among our distinguished chapters next year.”

To see the full list of Sweet 16 chapters, visit .

Ducks Unlimited Inc. is the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, Ducks Unlimited has conserved more than 13.6 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent.