Fundraising efforts by VCU and VCUHS employees earn an award from the state Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign

Record giving by university and health system employees earns Pinnacle Award

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Sara Wilson, director, Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, presents the Pinnacle Award to representatives from VCU and the VCU Health System combined campaign. From left to right are: Macon Sizemore, CVC steering committee; Clare Greene, CVC steering committee; Deanna Lacy, CVC co-chair; Wilson; Linda Tillman, CVC co-chair; Connie Davidson, CVC steering committee; and Michael Ford, CVC steering committee.

Photo courtesy of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management
Sara Wilson, director, Virginia Department of Human Resource Management, presents the Pinnacle Award to representatives from VCU and the VCU Health System combined campaign. From left to right are: Macon Sizemore, CVC steering committee; Clare Greene, CVC steering committee; Deanna Lacy, CVC co-chair; Wilson; Linda Tillman, CVC co-chair; Connie Davidson, CVC steering committee; and Michael Ford, CVC steering committee. Photo courtesy of Virginia Department of Human Resource Management

The statewide Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign has recognized the record-setting efforts in 2004 of Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System employees, who raised more than $400,000 for various charities.

The Virginia Department of Human Resource Management presented the health system and university combined campaign with a CVC Pinnacle Award for its best campaign ever. VCU and the VCU Health System combined Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign raised a record $437,340. The total was an increase of more than 19 percent from both campuses for 2004, eclipsing the previous year by $71,020.

The CVC is an annual giving program that encourages Virginia state employees to contribute to humanitarian, environmental and health- and-human service charities. The statewide campaign began Oct. 1 and ended in mid-December.

“My fellow employees deserve the credit for this recognition,” said Paul W. Timmreck, VCU’s senior vice president for finance and administration and chair of the VCU and VCUHS combined campaign. “Collectively the faculty and staff of VCU and the VCU Health System showed tremendous generosity and commitment to make this our most successful CVC effort.”

University and health system employees also set a record for participation. During last fall’s combined campaign, 3,530 employees returned pledge cards, compared with 3,380 employees in 2003, when $366,320 was collected. That was nearly a 5 percent boost in participation.

"VCU and VCU Health System employees should be proud of what they have accomplished – setting new records for giving and participation for our institutions,” said Cindy H. Andrews, executive director, VCU Human Resource Division.

"I want to thank the co-chairs, the 34-member executive steering committee and the 200 campaign associates who worked on the campaign,” Andrews said. “And I wish to thank the employees from both campuses who took the time to get involved in this most worthy endeavor.”

Three factors contributed to the successful combined campaign: employee pledge cards accounted for nearly $337,210, more than three-fourths of the total; the Heart Walk added $53,900, and the annual Gurney Tourney provided a $46,230 boost.

This is the second year in a row that employee contributions have resulted in a record-setting total for the VCU and VCUHS combined campaign, which has been a pacesetter in Virginia, ranking second among all agencies for the past four years.

In the past six years, employees of VCU and the VCU Health System have contributed nearly $2 million to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign.

The 2004 statewide CVC finished with $3.6 million, a 10 percent increase over last year.