Charitable campaign starts today

October 3, 2011

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A campuswide campaign is helping Gators help others.

Today marks the start of the 19th annual University of Florida Campaign for Charities, a campus effort to raise money for local and national nonprofit organizations. Last year, UF raised more than $1 million.

The campaign asks UF employees to donate to a list of 90 local charitable agencies, including the American Cancer Society, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Alachua County Humane Society Inc.

“Imagine the impact of $1 million invested in our community each year by the generous employees of the University of Florida,” said Susan Crowley, University of Florida Campaign for Charities’ executive director. “In these times of diminished nonprofit budgets, our UFCC funds are vital to many agencies.”

The program started in 1993, and in each of the past six years, UF has raised more than $1 million.

“The UFCC has been the top charitable campaign in the SEC for six years,” Crowley said. “We are consistently among the top five universities in the nation in similar giving campaigns”

Employees can donate through payroll deduction, cash, check or direct bill. Online donations can be made using myUFL or the campaign’s website, www.ufcc.ufl.edu.

Donors can give to a specific charity, or they can contribute a general donation to support all 90 agencies.

The campaign runs until Oct. 24.