One of the powerful\nreminders of the university\u2019s unique relationship with our hometown is found in\nthe spirit and energy on display every Friday in the restaurants, shops, and\noffices in Hays, America. The Tiger Gear on Friday (TGOF) tradition is an\nongoing celebration of the innovative, determined, and caring people that make\nTiger Nation unique. It was established as Tiger Gold on Friday in 2014 and\nreintroduced in 2019 as Tiger Gear on Friday. The change was made to expand the\nnumber of ways the folks could demonstrate their Tiger pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TGOF has always been a\nhighly visible and unifying movement in Hays. According to Downtown Hays\nDevelopment Corporation Director Sara Bloom: \u201cWe see an incredible benefit\nof the TGOF program. Not only does it help highlight the opportunities, shops,\nand restaurants downtown to those on campus, it\u2019s a way for us to show FHSU\nfaculty, staff, and students how truly valued they are. Hays thrives because of\nthe impact Fort Hays State has on our community. Campus life brings new\nmomentum and excitement to Hays. Being a TGOF partner lets us say thank you in\na small way for that impact and the university\u2019s contribution to our quality of\nplace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a Friday morning\nearlier this month, at a \u201cChamber Chat\u201d event at a packed Professor\u2019s Classic Sandwich\nShop & More in Hays, Hays Chamber President Sarah Wasinger and the\nuniversity\u2019s TGOF Steering Committee Chair Scott Cason introduced a new TGOF\nengagement program that is now open to TGOF community partners. The TGOF\nPartner-of-the-Year contest will be an annual competition where TGOF\nCommunity Partners can win a tremendous prize package. Those prizes include a\nTGOF-sponsored Chamber Chat for their organization; up to 20 tickets and\nspecial recognition at a 2022 Tiger football game; a photoshoot with the\nuniversity mascot, Victor E. Tiger; and an extensive TGOF prize package branded\nmerchandise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To earn TGOF Partner-of-the-Year\nhonors, the winning community partner will document their efforts to promote\nTiger Nation spirit in any combination of the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This tremendous energy\nin the community doesn\u2019t exist by accident. It is the direct result of the\nenergetic work of the TGOF Community Outreach Sub-Committee. Led by Brittney\nSquire, outreach services specialist at FHSU\u2019s Forsyth Library, the group works\nto expand the reach and impact of TGOF. Comprising that group are several FHSU staff\nmembers, a student government leader, and representatives from TGOF\u2019s four\n\u201cPremier Partners\u201d \u2013 The Chamber in Hays, The Downtown Hays Development\nCorporation, the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Grow Hays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n