In This Issue
Campus United Way Gears Up for Campaign Kickoff
Annual barbecue marks joint launch of fundraising campaign, Sustainability Week
BY MARY DICKIESON
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| This year’s campus United Way campaign co-chairs are, from left, Nathan Lachowsky, Jennifer Beehler, Prof. Jim Atkinson and Jason Greenberg. Photo by Mary Dickieson |
The barbecue held each fall to kick off U of G’s United Way campaign will be a shared event this year. The Sept. 24 barbecue on Branion Plaza will also launch the University’s Sustainability Week.
The United Way is all about sustaining communities, says campus co-chair Jennifer Beehler, secretary to the chair of the Department of Clinical Studies.
“The lineup of events planned for Sustainability Week also reinforces the importance of making an individual effort for the benefit of everyone, so our launch party is a natural partnership in community building.”
At the barbecue, volunteers will serve hot dogs, corn on the cob and cold drinks beginning at 11:30 a.m. You can buy your lunch to support the United Way, suggests Beehler, then move into the University Centre courtyard to check out the Sustainability Week resource fair.
Scheduled to speak at the kickoff are Guelph mayor Karen Farbridge and president Alastair Summerlee, who is chair of the overall United Way campaign for Guelph and Wellington County.
“Our University goal for the 2009 campaign is $500,000,” says co-chair Prof. Jim Atkinson, Animal and Poultry Science. “U of G staff, faculty, retirees and students donated an amazing $490,000 in 2008, and now the need in our community is even greater. Guelph and Wellington County faced a significant number of layoffs and closures during the economic downturn, and as a result, more people need the services provided by agencies that are funded by the United Way.”
This is Atkinson’s third year as a campaign co-chair and Beehler’s second. She’s also a member of the Guelph and Wellington campaign cabinet, which launches its fundraising drive today at Immigrant Services Guelph-Wellington, an agency supported by the United Way.
This year’s student co-chairs are Nathan Lachowsky and Jason Greenberg. A fourth-year biological sciences student, Lachowsky helped get College of Biological Science students involved in the 2008 United Way campaign when he was president of the CBS Student Council. Greenberg, a third-year statistics student who helped with last year’s campaign, says he’s back because he enjoyed working with the campus group and thinks volunteering is a great way to spend his spare time.
Both student chairs say their goal is to increase student awareness and participation in the campaign.
“If students are looking for a quick introduction to volunteering and want to get involved on campus with a well-established and respected organization that has unprecedented impact on our community, then the campus United Way campaign is for them,” says Lachowsky. “I have a strong passion for community service and believe the United Way embodies the ideals and values we want to see in all Guelph students.”
Greenberg notes that the campaign is being highlighted at this week’s Club Days hosted by the Central Student Association in the University Centre. On Sept. 22, the work of agencies funded by the United Way will be featured at the volunteer showcase run by Student Volunteer Connections in the UC. And Guelph students will be part of the Sept. 24 campaign kickoff on Branion Plaza.
The 2009 United Way campaign runs until the end of November and will feature numerous events across campus. Check the campaign website (www.uoguelph.ca/unitedway) often for details of coming events and campaign progress. You can also post information about your departmental or college event on the website.