[Chronicle]

Oct. 24, 1996
Vol. 16, No. 4

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    Annual charity campaign gets under way

    Watch your mailbox for information about "Giving to Help," the University's annual Campaign for the United Way and Other Charities. Campaign materials and donor cards are being mailed this month to all University employees, and a series of free pizza parties are being planned to acquaint University faculty and staff members with some of the organizations that will benefit from their donations.

    The first pizza party will be held Tuesday, Oct. 29, in the library of Ida Noyes Hall. The guest speaker will be Sister Connie of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, a Woodlawn shelter for women and children that provides such services as job training, child care and substance-abuse rehabilitation. Pizza parties are also planned for Thursday, Nov. 7, and Wednesday, Nov. 13. (See the Nov. 7 Chronicle for more information.) The pizza parties are free and open to all University faculty and staff members.

    Through the University's United Way and Other Charities Campaign, members of the faculty and staff may support any established charity in the United States. Over 160 independent organizations, including various programs within the University, benefited from last year's campaign.

    In 1995-96, the University community contributed over $114,000 to the United Way and over $128,000 to other charities. The goal this year is to increase the participation rate above last year's and raise at least $250,000 for charitable organizations.

    The Chicago United Way/Crusade of Mercy is an independent organization governed by local volunteers. More than 90 percent of the organization's funds go directly to people in need in the Chicago area. Through area agencies, support is provided to the poor, the homeless and the ill, as well as to day-care programs, alcohol- and drug-abuse counseling and many other services.

    Donations can be made through a cash contribution or by payroll deduction. Staff and faculty members who contribute through the University's campaign are eligible to win any of the prizes donated by the University and Chicago businesses, including tickets to a Bulls game in February and a grand prize of two round-trip airline tickets donated by United Airlines.