VCU and the VCU Health System to launch annual Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign

By Michael Ford
University News Services

Virginia Commonwealth University and VCU Health System employees will launch their combined 2005 Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign on Oct. 12 with a focus on increasing participation among co-workers.

The CVC is the annual giving program that encourages state employees to contribute to more than 1,100 humanitarian, environmental and health and human service charities that have been approved to participate in the campaign. The list includes five charities that are affiliated with the university and the health system: the Loftis Memorial Bereavement Fund; the VCU-Carver Partnership; Virginia Mentoring Partnership; the Hospital Hospitality House; and the VCU Massey Cancer Center.

“I am very proud of the support our employees have demonstrated for the CVC year after year,” said VCU President Eugene P. Trani. “Many of them give to the same charities each year and many choose to designate charities that do good work close to home, at VCU, the VCU Medical Center or the Richmond area.

“I especially like that because the donations go to charities that advance our mission, help our families and help our neighbors,” Trani said.

VCU-affiliated organizations participating in the 2005 CVC are: • Hospital Hospitality House, Code 3709 • Loftis Memorial Bereavement Fund, Code 3592 • VCU Massey Cancer Center, Code 3657 • VCU-Carver Partnership, Code 3513 • Virginia Mentoring Partnership, Code 3494

VCU and the VCU Health System combined campaign raised a record $437,340 in 2004, an increase of more than 19 percent from both campuses that surpassed the previous year by $71,000. As a result, 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.

“By nearly any measure the university and the health system employees contributed to a fantastic campaign last year, the best of any state agency in Central Virginia and second best in the commonwealth,” said Paul W. Timmreck, VCU’s senior vice president for finance and administration and chair of the combined CVC. “But we believe the potential exists to be even more successful.

“We want the employees who contributed to the campaign last year to stay the course,” Timmreck said. “And we urge new employees and employees who didn’t make pledges before to identify a charity they can support.”

University and health system employees set a record for participation last year, outpacing participation totals from 2003 by nearly 5 percent.

“Those figures indicate impressive growth, but if we work at it we can improve it,” said Debra M. Fitzgerald, VCU Human Resources and CVC co-chair. “If an additional 1,000 people got involved and donated just a dollar a week, our combined donations could grow by $50,000. Our campaign is stronger when more of us participate.”

“That is why our outreach efforts are focused on enlarging the tent,” said Deanna Lacy, Human Resources, VCU Health System and CVC co-chair. “The success of the CVC is about individuals working together and allowing our individual contributions to work together to make a difference in the community.”

In the past six years, university and health system employees have contributed nearly $2 million to the campaign.

According to state CVC guidelines, 100 percent of proceeds designated for a charity through the use of a pledge card will go to the charity or charities indicated. Pledge cards and CVC directories of charitable organizations will be distributed to nearly 11,000 employees on both campuses. Employees can make contributions using cash, check, credit card or payroll deduction. More than 250 university and medical center employees have been designated as campaign associates. Information about the campaign associate assigned to a specific department is online at www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/cvc/.

The giving period for the statewide campaign is from Oct. 1 through Nov. 30.