UA Cares kicks off with three service projects
Lovely Ganthier, accountant in the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and UA Cares honorary co-chair, speaks at a kickoff event on Sept. 30.
Organizations addressing food insecurity and homelessness in the community will share the spotlight as UA Cares begins with the annual workplace giving campaign.
The effort is highlighting five local giving opportunities, including the Sister José Women's Center, which assists women experiencing homelessness, and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, which provides programs such as food assistance, free meals, community gardens and nutrition education.
Nick Hilton, Director of Community Relations
The campaign will also spotlight the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, the University of Arizona Campus Pantry, which distributes food staples to students and employees at no cost, and the Employee Emergency Fund, which provides financial aid to employees facing temporary hardship as a result of unexpected emergency expenses.
The workplace giving campaign runs from Oct. 28-Nov. 22. Employees are encouraged to donate to any department, college, program or initiative through the University of Arizona Foundation or to local nonprofit organizations through the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.
"We always want to expand the good that we do in the community and we have a pretty good track record of doing that each year," said Nick Hilton, director of community relations and UA Cares coordinator. "We hope to continue that this year and the only way for us to do that is if Wildcats answer the call to Bear Down and step up for our community."
The first week of the workplace giving campaign will give employees the opportunity to do just that with three community service projects.
"We'll be doing a park cleanup project near campus, we'll be going to a middle school to beautify their campus and get classrooms ready for students, and there will be a mobile blood bus on the Mall collecting blood for our local hospitals," Hilton said.
Dates and times for the three projects are:
- Jefferson Park Neighborhood Cleanup | Nov. 2, 9-11 a.m.
- Bulldog Saturday at Mansfield Magnet Middle School | Nov. 2, 9 a.m.-noon
- Vitalant Bloodmobile on the Mall | Nov. 1, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Volunteers will be sent a specific location when they sign up for any of the above projects.
This pumpkin, submitted by Faculty Affairs for last year's Pumpkin Crafting Contest, was inspired by Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who!"
UA Cares is a series of university initiatives throughout the year that also includes the UA 4 Food drive to fight hunger each spring and blood drives each semester. This year's campaign began with a kickoff event on Sept. 30 that allowed organizers to meet with more than 30 area nonprofits. It will wrap up this spring with an end-of-year celebration and awards ceremony. Details on that event will be available once they are finalized.
The 2023 workplace giving campaign saw a 75% increase in the number of employees who volunteered their time and brought in $201,000 in monetary donations. Since 2004, UA Cares has raised more than $6.9 million to address campus and community needs. While digital records of UA Cares began in 2004, Hilton said he has found memorabilia from the campaign dating back to 1989.
Tessa Dysart (front), assistant vice provost for Native American initiatives and UA Cares honorary co-chair, smiles as her children, James and Vera, write letters and draw pictures for residents of a memory care facility as part of a service project that was part of last year's campaign.
Employees can make a one-time donation or set up a recurring payroll deduction through a UA Cares tile that will appear on the UAccess Employee homepage. Payroll deduction stop dates are now flexible. You can choose how long you wish deductions to occur. If you leave the stop date blank, the deduction will continue indefinitely with no yearly renewal needed.
Those looking to donate their time can find dozens of volunteer opportunities available through the United Way's Days of Caring site.
The campaign will again have two honorary co-chairs – one staff member and one faculty member. This year's co-chairs are Lovely Ganthier, accountant in the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, and Tessa Dysart, assistant vice provost for Native American initiatives and clinical professor in the James E. Rogers College of Law.
"I come from a family that prioritizes service, and I have actively participated in UA Cares since joining the law school faculty in 2017," Dysart said. "Last year my young children even helped write letters and draw pictures for residents in a memory care facility."
Hope Noriega, enrollment counselor with Arizona International, and Brian Mayer, professor in the School of Sociology, were last year's honorary co-chairs.
Get crafty for a good cause
The Office of the Provost is heading to the stage for this year's edition of its popular Pumpkin Crafting Contest, which raises money for the Campus Pantry. This year's theme is Broadway.
Entry into the event is $15. Pumpkins are due on Oct. 30 with voting taking place on Oct. 31 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in Room 705 of the Administration building. Everyone gets five free votes. A donation of $2 is worth five additional votes. The office is hoping to raise $1,500 for the Campus Pantry. Participants can also donate to vote for next year's theme. For more information, contact Jonathan Lazar, administrative associate with the Office of the Provost.
Need some inspiration? Check out some of last year's Seuss-inspired pumpkins.