United Way Launches 2008 Appeal
Campaign will focus on education, health care, and financial stability for families
Boston University kicked off its 2008 United Way campaign on November 3 with an e-mail appeal to all University staff and faculty encouraging them to participate in this year’s effort to provide resources for the region’s children and families.
The theme is Live United, a national campaign that focuses on improving education, helping families achieve financial stability, and addressing health-care disparities across the country.
Peter Fiedler, the University’s vice president for administrative services and the chair of the 2008 campaign, says that the recent economic downturn makes supporting the United Way more critical than ever.
“We know that the country’s financial crisis affects everyone,” Fiedler says. “But the most vulnerable families, those who are living paycheck to paycheck, are the most at risk.”
Last year, the University raised $176,725, exceeding its fundraising goal of $175,000. The BU campaign has set the same target for 2008.
Those who pledge $75 or more to the campaign — which works out to about $1.45 a week — will be eligible for incentive prizes, including a faculty-staff green parking permit, a $200 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble or $200 in Terrier Convenience Points, a 4-gig iPod nano, and an 8MB digital camera. The drawing for the grand prize, a travel package for two anywhere in the continental United States plus a $600 gift certificate toward ground transportation, will be held at the University’s Holiday Party in mid-December.
A pledge of $3 a week, or $156 a year, or more to United Way’s Community Impact Fund or one of United Way’s target areas, qualifies the donor for enrollment in United Way’s Caring Club program, which offers discounts at many local and national retailers.
All funds go to the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, which supports more than 250 agencies serving over two million people in the region’s 64 cities and towns. Partner agencies treat substance abusers, provide after-school programs for children, help people in need pay their rent, and provide adult day care for elders, among many other programs. Employees can earmark their donation for a specific United Way partner agency or select an unaffiliated 501(C)3 not-for-profit health and human services agency.
Donations will be accepted online through December 18. Faculty and staff can use the link provided in the e-mail appeal, or contact the United Way at 617-624-8059 or customerservice@supportunitedway.org for assistance.
Jessica Ullian can be reached at jullian@bu.edu.
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