During the recent Fall Weekend, the Hamilton Microfinance Group hosted its fifth annual “Guess the Weight: Giant Pumpkin Challenge.” The Giant Pumpkin Challenge has become a fundraising tradition along Martin’s Way; for $1, guests could guess the weight of the giant Halloween vegetable.
The club received over 170 unique contributions and raised $1175.35 in current and planned contributions. All proceeds go toward issuing small business loans to local entrepreneurs
The pumpkin weighed 339.3 lbs. Joyce Lee ’20 won first place, a 32” TV, and second place winner Emma Weller ’19 received a $75 gift card for the bookstore.
Microfinance group chair Craig Engert ’21 said the students were able to talk to Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon ’84 who posed for a photo with the group and put it on his Instagram.
The Hamilton Microfinance Group is a student-run, micro-lending organization that seeks to increase economic growth and opportunity in the Greater Utica area by providing small business loans to individuals who might not qualify for a traditional bank loan. Through the use of loans rather than grants, this organization helps entrepreneurs establish their own credit histories and borrowing power. To learn more, please contact micro@hamilton.edu.
