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October 30 , 2006
Emory Community Giving campaign supports local ‘superheroes’

by kim urquhart

Each year, Emory employees open their hearts and their wallets to donate to a favorite cause, agency or organization through the Emory Community Giving campaign, the charitable giving program of the University and Emory Healthcare.

“As a community, we are proud of our many philanthropic efforts and we continue to foster a culture of generosity as a way to share the many gifts we have,” said President Jim Wagner in a campuswide e-mail promoting the program, which offers employees a convenient way to support the work of more than 400 nonprofit groups.

Seven charitable partners are participating in the 2007 campaign, including Community Health Charities of Georgia, Earth Share of Georgia, Georgia Black United Fund, Georgia Shares, Global Impact and United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. The 2007 campaign also includes all Emory gifts to the American Heart Association Heart Walk set for Nov. 5 in Piedmont Park.

Each charitable partner is a federation that raises funds for a group of its member agencies. The federations receive and disburse employee gifts to their member agencies and annually certify them for Emory and other workplace campaigns.

Workplace giving programs such as Emory’s “create a brand new revenue stream for nonprofit agencies, one that can grow single every year,” said Sherry Sutton (‘81C), executive director of Georgia Shares, which represents 34 nonprofits dedicated to social and economic justice. Workplace giving programs also make it easier for employees to give, she added. “Our major goal is to connect donor workers with the causes that they care about.”

Employees have several options to give to the charity of their choice. Donations can be deducted directly from employees’ paychecks or made by check or credit card, or by combination of methods. Payroll deductions can be made through an easy online system at http://leo.cc.emory.edu/ until Dec. 31, and can be stopped at any time. The Emory Community Giving Office also offers a printed donation form. Checks and money orders must be made payable to one of the seven charitable federations, and will be accepted until
Dec. 5.

“The goal is to foster giving throughout our community, locally, nationally and internationally, and we do that in so many ways – through partnerships, through volunteer efforts, through monetary donations and gifts,” said campaign coordinator Jocelyn Brewer. “This campaign is just one venue for our employees to give back” to the community.

Formerly called Emory Gives, the campaign got a new name and a new administrative home in Human Resources last year, though the program itself remains largely unchanged. The University and its partners hope to increase awareness about the Emory Community Giving campaign among Emory employees, this year more than ever.

“So many Emory employees are already doing volunteer work for many of our agencies, and it is just so important for Emory employees to know that they are able to give to causes that they care about,” Sutton said. Georgia Shares hopes to raise at least $35,000 through this year’s Emory campaign, she said.

An increase in participation is the goal of long-term Emory charitable partner United Way, according to Associate Area Director Reina Jones. The United Way’s goal for the 2007 campaign at Emory is to top $130,000.

Organizations such as the United Way, which Jones described as “at the forefront of solving community issues,” count on employees’ contributions each year.

“The people at these agencies who help make our communities stronger and safer on a daily basis, these are the superheroes,” Jones said. “Your donation enables these individuals to sustain that work, and sustain our communities.”

For more information about the Emory Community Giving program and the nonprofit groups it supports, visit
www.communitygiving.emory.edu.

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