VCU and Health System Launch Annual Giving Campaign for State Workers

By Leila Ugincius

In the past year, Virginia has endured more than its usual share of natural disasters. From tornados to the earthquake and hurricane, the state is still recovering from the damages.

Virginians across the state have helped in the recovery efforts by giving generously to a special disaster relief fund established by Gov. Bob McDonnell.

“Virginians care about one another, and that giving nature has been very apparent," McDonnell said. "There is much work left to be done, and more resources are necessary to rebuild. I ask that citizens and businesses lend a helping hand to those in need and provide what you can to help those impacted by the severe natural disasters.”

Now, with the kickoff of the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, the state's annual giving program run by employees for employees, Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System employees have the chance to help more of their neighbors.

Nearly 1,200 Virginia-based charities, from humanitarian and human service charities to environmental groups, are participating in this year's campaign. The university and health system combined campaign starts today, Oct. 3, and runs through Nov. 18. A list of participating charities can be found at http://www.cvc.vipnet.org/charities.htm.

Twelve of this year's CVC charities are affiliated with VCU (see list below).

Campaign Co-Chair Debbie Fitzgerald acknowledges that the poor economy makes it harder for people to give, but she points out that a little can go a long way.

“The tough economy is tough for the charities too,” Fitzgerald said. “But even giving $2 per pay period is a little amount that helps, but doesn't really hurt. Even in these tough economic times, we are lucky to have jobs and should help those who are facing tough times either through unemployment or other circumstances of this economy.”

University employees can access the online pledge system through the Commonwealth of Virginia’s EmployeeDirect portal at https://edirect.virginia.gov. Health system employees can access the online pledge system through Employee Self-Service on the Intranet at vcuhshr or through the Internet at https://vcuhsra.mcvh-vcu.edu. Each department will have a dedicated campaign associate to help with questions.

According to state CVC guidelines, 100 percent of proceeds designated for a charity will go to the charity or charities indicated. For more information on the university and health system combined campaign, visit http://www.vcu.edu/cvc/index.html.

VCU-affiliated charities

Association for the Support of Children with Cancer (ASK)
ASK is dedicated to making life better for children with cancer and serious blood disorders by providing emotional, social, spiritual and financial support to children being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond. (code 3281)

Center for Human-Animal Interaction
The Center for Human-Animal Interaction provides animal-assisted therapy and pet visitation at the VCU Medical Center and conducts research and provides education on health benefits of interacting with pets. The center also provides pet-loss support. (code 3087)

Children’s Hospital Foundation
The foundation, which is part of the VCU Health System, supports the hospital in its mission to be a resource and provider of specialized medical and therapeutic services customized to meet the needs of children and their families (code 3622)

The Faison School for Autism
The Faison School provides early intervention and intensive applied behavior analysis therapy to preschool (18 months to 6 years) and school-age children (6 to 22 years) on the autism spectrum. (code 3549)

Hospital Hospitality House
The Hospital Hospitality House provides lodging and nonmedical support in a home-like environment to families seeking specialized medical care at the VCU Medical Center, the veterans hospital and other hospitals in the Richmond area. (code 3709)

Loftis Bereavement Fund
This fund, supported by the Patient Counseling Program in the VCU School of Allied Health Professions, provides support to bereaved families and offers education in bereavement care for VCU Medical Center staff and the community. (code 3592)

Massey Cancer Center
The VCU Massey Cancer Center is one of 65 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the U.S. and provides a broad range of cancer-related research, educational activities and health care services. (code 3657)

Pediatric Palliative Care
Pediatric Palliative Care provides services to optimize the quality of care for infants, children, adolescents and their families who face the challenges of living with a life-limiting condition and to integrate palliative care principles and comprehensive pain and symptom management into hospital-wide pediatric clinical care, as well as education for pediatric health care providers. (code 3501)

VCU Lobs & Lessons
Lobs & Lessons is an after-school and summer enrichment program for elementary and middle school-age youth that focuses on character development, a path to higher education and the sport of tennis. (code 3497)

VCU-Carver Partnership
The VCU-Carver Partnership provides support and services to enrich the lives of Carver residents, such as tutoring and homework assistance for youth and health and housing resources for adult and senior residents. (code 3513)

VCU Parkinson’s Disease Center
The VCU Parkinson’s Disease Center provides a coordinated approach for developing strategies that combat neurodegenerative diseases and movement disorders. The highly integrated center’s interdisciplinary team moves groundbreaking research from novel approaches in the laboratory to clinical trials, translating discoveries into real-world treatments. The center’s diagnostic and therapeutic program also provides clinical diagnosis and care for Parkinson’s and related movement disorder patients. (code 3674)

Virginia Council on Economic Education
VCEE promotes the economic and financial literacy of Virginia’s K-12 students by training teachers, providing curriculum materials and actively advocating economic education in the commonwealth. (code 3940)