United Way fundraising campaign begins Oct. 25

4:46 p.m., Oct. 22, 2004--Pacesetter and retiree pledges for the 2004 United Way of Delaware fundraising campaign at UD have raised $43,000 toward the goal of $175,000, President David P. Roselle announced during the kick-off ceremony and solicitors’ orientation session on Wednesday, Oct. 20.

The campaign, whose theme is “Impacting our community by focusing on what matters--changing lives,” runs from Monday, Oct. 25, to Friday, Nov. 12, with a goal of raising $26.7 million in Delaware.

United Way of Delaware supports programs that target the most serious issues facing communities. The annual campaign and the Community Impact Fund bring together thousands of volunteers, more than 1,000 employers and organizations, dozens of full- and affiliate-member agencies and tens of thousands of individual donors.

UD’s Pacesetters’ Campaign received $37,089 from 73 donors, and 34 retirees pledged $5,900, Roselle said.

Quoting the observations of Alexis de Tocqueville, a 19th-Century French social philosopher, Roselle said it is an American phenomenon to go and ask persons to give in order to help those in need.

“Community is really why we’re here today,” Roselle said. “There are plenty of people among us--employees and friends of the University of Delaware--who are beneficiaries of United Way of Delaware programs. The Office of Human Resources’ slogan of ‘UDeserve Our Best!’ is certainly evident in the work they do to help all of us show our best and support those in need in our greater community. I appreciate the efforts.”

Drew Langloh, president and chief officer of the United Way of Delaware, said, “Success is only meaningful if you share with others. You can be pretty confident that when you give a gift to the United Way fund you are getting a return in human benefit. It’s important and it’s of real value to the donor.”

Langloh said children who benefit from United Way of Delaware-funded after-school programs have shown dramatic improvement in academic performance and decreased teenage pregnancy rates, high school dropout rates and truancy, when measured against their peers from the same neighborhoods.

“The most important thing for you to remember is that you are not doing it for yourself or the University,” Langloh said. “You are doing this to help families.”

“It’s a great opportunity,” Richie Holland, UD campaign chair and manager of Human Resources, told about 100 solicitors at the Bob Carpenter Sports/Convocation Center. “It’s a great way for you to get out and spend time with your friends and colleagues.”

The 129 UD solicitors representing every unit across the University will help answer questions and explain the benefits of the services supported by United Way contributions. Pledges through credit cards, checks or payroll deduction can be made online via a secure server at [www.udel.edu/unitedway]. To properly access the link, employees need to use Internet Explorer, the University’s browser of choice. For browser download and installation instructions, visit [http://udeploy.udel.edu].

Article by Martin Mbugua
Photo by Kathy Atkinson

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