United Way 2005 Goal Set at $2,568,000
Campaign chairs Jim Happel, APL;
Stephanie Reel, for the university; and Patricia Brown, for
JHM, at Apostolado Hispano, a United Way agency in
Spanishtown
PHOTO BY HIPS / WILL KIRK
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Chairs strive to increase participation by raising
awareness
By Greg Rienzi The Gazette
Jim Happel of APL, one of the three chairs of this
year's United Way campaign, said
that his goal is to "encourage a willingness to give" and
increase participation by at least 5 percent. To accomplish
this, the Lab has chosen to focus on the "learn" part of
the United Way of Central Maryland's 2005 campaign theme,
"Learn, Give, Help."
"I want to provide the means for all staff to learn
what United Way is all about and, more importantly, learn
about the community agencies that benefit from it," said
Happel, a member of APL's principal professional staff.
"The community agencies could help any of us, not just the
destitute, homeless or the poor population. We have people
employed right here at APL who have benefited from a United
Way-sponsored agency. My hope is that more APL staff
develop a willingness to participate in some way because we
reached out to them with a more personal touch."
The university will officially begin its 2005 drive
for the United Way of Central Maryland with a kickoff event
on the Homewood campus at noon on Thursday, Sept. 22, in
Shriver Hall. Separate launches will be held on other
campuses in September and October.
This year's three campaign chairs — for the
university, Stephanie Reel, vice provost for information
technology and chief information officer; Happel, for APL;
and for Johns Hopkins Medicine, Patricia Brown, president
of Johns Hopkins Health Care — have set a combined
goal of $2,568,000. The money raised will support more than
250 affiliated human service programs that seek to improve
people's lives in Baltimore City and the five surrounding
counties.
This figure represents a total for contributions from
JHM and all university divisions except SAIS, whose
donations are reported to the Washington capital area
campaign. The 2004 combined Johns Hopkins gifts to the
United Way of Central Maryland totaled $2,525,223, a figure
that represented 103 percent of the campaign goal.
The Johns Hopkins Medicine campaign will also focus on
education and increased participation.
Brown said that while last year's campaign was overall
a successful one, more can be done to get the message
across that the United Way is a good investment.
"We want to talk about outcomes for the people who
benefit from the United Way and how just a few dollars out
of a person's pay can help improve the community," Brown
said. "We have spent a lot of time here talking about
improving our campus and building new buildings, but we
can't lose sight of the fact that every community needs a
safety net — nonprofit agencies that support the
needs of the people who live there. There are numerous
United Way agencies around our campus, and one way to
ensure that East Baltimore's safety net is both available
and thriving is to invest in the United Way."
JHM will run a focused, two-week campaign, beginning
on Oct. 10, which will feature hot dog lunches for those
who present a pledge card.
In an effort to refocus on its primary mission, the
United Way of Central Maryland last year instituted a
policy that removes from the list of agencies that can be
designated those that don't provide a health and human
service, such as arts councils and some schools and
churches. The organization felt it needed to refocus on
what it calls its Community Safety Net, a network of
agencies expert at addressing human needs that receive
funding from the organization.
A new policy for the United Way in 2005 is that
designated gifts to an agency have to be at least $50.
Events scheduled for the Johns Hopkins campaign
include a universitywide Day of Caring, to be held Oct. 27;
the third annual Hopkins Chili Cook-Off, Nov. 29 on the
Homewood campus; and a lottery drawing for employees
returning pledges or contributions of $50 or more by Nov.
11.
New this year will be Octoberfest, to be held Oct. 7
at Johns Hopkins at Eastern. The event will feature games,
foods, raffles and a car wash, with the proceeds going to
the United Way campaign. (Rain date for the event is Oct.
14.)
The Day of Caring is an event in which staff and
faculty can get directly involved with a local community
service. Employees have fed the homeless, refurbished
shelters, held bake drives and volunteered their time with
disadvantaged or disabled children, to name just a few.
This year, volunteers will head to Marian House, a
transitional housing agency located near Johns Hopkins at
Eastern.
The theme for this year's Johns Hopkins campaign is
"Help People in Need," and Stephanie Reel said that
literally thousands of people — including friends,
neighbors and family members — have been helped in
some way from the network of human service agencies that
receive funding for programs.
"Giving to the United Way is a painless way to make a
real difference," Reel said. "And who knows when someone we
know, or even ourselves, will need the services that United
Way agencies provide?"
The university will also seek an increase in
leadership donors — those who give $1,000 or more
— and will ask past leadership donors to give more if
they can, whether it be at the bronze ($1,000), silver
($2,500), gold ($5,000) or Alexis de Tocqueville ($10,000
or more) level.
For more information on Hopkins' United Way campaign,
go to
www.jhu.edu/unitedway.
United Way Responds to Gulf Coast
Disaster
Hurricane Katrina has caused unprecedented destruction
throughout the Gulf Coast and up into the Ohio Valley, with
the ripple effect being felt nationwide. Tens of thousands
are displaced, and the death toll is expected climb, even
as government and relief agencies rush relief to the
area.
In light of the massive aid campaign, university
United Way campaign chair Stephanie Reel would like to
inform faculty and staff that donations to the United Way's
Hurricane Katrina Response Fund are being routed through
the upcoming Johns Hopkins University United Way of Central
Maryland campaign.
The United Way of America has established this
emergency response fund to provide humanitarian relief and
to help affected communities begin rebuilding. Funds will
be allocated for both frontline disaster relief and
long-term recovery needs as determined by the United Ways
in affected areas, in coordination with other human
services agencies, such as the American Red Cross, and
coordinated through the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
All contributions will be passed along dollar for
dollar with no overhead cost deducted. "Though you will be
receiving your personalized pledge form between Sept. 26
and Oct. 7," Reel said, "if you would like to contribute
before Sept. 26, log on to
www.jhu.edu/unitedway to donate online." This Web site
will be available starting Monday, Sept. 12.
If you have additional questions or concerns, contact
Lesley Giles, United Way administrator, at lgiles2@jhu.edu or
410-516-0373.
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