And the winner is …

By Leila Ugincius

Alfreda Mines from the Division of Student Affairs & Enrollment Services was the lucky winner of the coveted grand prize in Virginia Commonwealth University and the VCU Health System’s combined Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign drawing: free parking for year.

John M. Bennett, VCU CVC campaign chair and senior vice president for Finance and Administration, drew the lucky winner’s name from the lot of this year’s 1,874 contributors during a reception held in January as a thank-you to campaign associates.

The CVC is the state’s annual giving program that runs from October through the end of the year. This year, to boost interest and to thank contributors, the university and health system held drawings for prizes. Early contributors won gift cards to Target, Ukrop’s, Wal-Mart and the VCU Bookstores, or tickets to VCU basketball games. The drawing for the grand prize was held near the campaign’s end to allow as many contributors as possible to qualify.

Contributions continue to trickle in, but the grand total collected as of Jan. 22 was $405,111— $1,186 more than last year's CVC total, not including last year's special campaign for Hurricane Katrina relief.

Bennett urged the campaign associates to start thinking about next year’s campaign, noting that he’d like to see ways to expand the number of contributors. But more importantly, he urged, is remembering that the real winners of the program are the organizations and charities that benefit from the campaign.

For more information on the CVC, visit http://www.cvc.vipnet.org/.