Johns Hopkins Gazette: September 25, 1995

On United Way:
Kicking Off A Season Of Hope

Mike Field
-------------------
Staff Writer

     On Sept. 28 commuters to the Homewood campus are going to be
greeted with free coffee and doughnuts when they park in the "P"
lot in front of Garland Hall.

     "It's just our way of saying thank you for support in the
years past and reminding them this year's United Way campaign
will kick off that morning at 10 a.m. in Shriver Hall," said Judy
Peregoff, manager of Faculty, Staff and Retiree Programs and a
driving force behind the university's annual campaign.

     "We all take a cup of coffee and a doughnut for granted. It
may mean nothing to us, but it can be something significant to a
lot of people out there. That's what the United Way is all
about."

     This year's campaign theme, "Paint a Brighter Tomorrow,"
highlights the possibilities inherent in every United Way pledge.
"All of these agencies are vitally important to the people of
Central Maryland," said Don Giddens, dean of the Whiting School
of Engineering and chair of the 1995 university United Way
campaign. "Especially this year, with the anticipated cutbacks in
federal support, we are looking at a situation where private
giving is even more important."

     This year's campaign will operate slightly differently than
in years past, with almost all the appeals and fund-raising
efforts taking place in the month of October, rather than spread
out over three months. Planners hope the shorter pledge period
will enable the campaign to make its case clearly and with
greater focus. 

     "We've tried to consolidate everything into the month of
October to encourage a careful but prompt decision," Giddens
said. 

     Baltimore newscaster Sally Thorner will join this year's
Homewood kickoff, which will include a visit from a dozen
Lafayette Square Community Day Care Center children. As
beneficiaries and ambassadors of a United Way program, the
children will hand out hundreds of original finger paintings as
their way of saying thank you to those attending the kickoff. 

     More of the original art work will be distributed on Oct. 2,
when the campaign initiates a "roving kickoff" on the East
Baltimore campus. A Peabody Institute clarinet player will lead a
parade of volunteers in painter's clothes from building to
building as they distribute finger paintings, fliers and
brochures. 

     This year's campaign goal is $573,000. As in years past, the
university effort includes all major Baltimore-based Hopkins
schools and divisions. The hospital, Applied Physics Laboratory,
the Nitze School for Advanced International Studies and the
Bayview Medical Center will conduct separate campaigns. Last
year, the university's United Way campaign raised $552,750.

     "It's important for people to realize that this money raised
in the community stays in the community," Giddens said. "Like
Hopkins, the United Way is very decentralized. Almost all of the
money given through the United Way goes directly to programs at
work on a local level." 

     United Way of Central Maryland serves individuals in
Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and
Howard counties.

     Essentially an umbrella organization that raises funds for
an array of smaller charities and service providers, United Way
funds support everything from care to those with AIDS to adult
education to veterans and youth services. Money for the United
Way campaign is solicited from university faculty and staff in
the form of direct, one-time contributions or in monthly
automatic payroll deductions.

     "We're hoping to raise more money this year by convincing
more members of the university community to participate,"
Peregoff said. "That will only happen if we are successful in
demonstrating that this money goes to a variety of important
community services that all of us, in one way or another, benefit
from. The bulk of United Way contributions goes directly to
providing services to our neighbors in need. That's the important
part."

     In years past the Hopkins campaign has been one of the
leading sources of contributions in the Central Maryland United
Way effort. 

     "As a major employer in the area, we have always been
conscious of the fact that there is reason for us to set a good
example," Giddens said. "It is incumbent upon us to step up and
do what we can, to be the good citizen in Baltimore and
surrounding communities. The United Way campaign permits us to
show we care.

     "We are asking everyone at the university to read the
information and think carefully about playing a role in the
campaign. It's important for each of us to take the time to
consider lending our support. We hope that every member of the
Hopkins community will join us in this important effort."

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