The Yale United Way Campaign -- the yearly initiative of faculty and staff to raise money in support of community programs and services -- has begun in earnest on campus.
"Last year, we raised nearly $450,000 for Yale's neighbors in Greater New Haven," says Judith Dozier Hackman, chair of the University's United Way Campaign and associate dean of Yale College. "This year, we hope to top that amount by reaching a goal of $500,000. The Yale-United Way Campaign is one way to continue our long tradition of community service."
The 2003-2004 campaign theme is "Invest where it matters." The drive - the only general fundraising effort by employees sponsored by the University - helps support the nearly 40 partner agencies of the United Way of Greater New Haven as well as numerous affiliated health and human service organizations. These agencies serve nine towns in the Greater New Haven area. One of the newest agencies to be approved for donor designation is Dwight Hall at Yale (See related story).
"Donations to the United Way can change the lives of children, the elderly and other needy citizens in Greater New Haven," notes Hackman. As examples of how the work of United Way member agencies and other associated agencies have impacted the community, Hackman points out the following:
• Grades and school attendance rates went up for the 300 children who were mentored through Big Brothers/Big Sisters and hundreds more who participated in after-school programs at the YMCA, New Haven Boys & Girls Club and the Farnam Neighborhood House;
• 60% of the high school students in a United Way-funded program in the Amity School District reduced their use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs;
• 100% of families at Stepping Stone, a residential housing program for families at risk of becoming homeless, moved into permanent affordable housing;
• 23 young men convicted of drug offenses, with the help of a United Way program, took advantage of a "second chance," staying off drugs and out of jail; and
• 105 homebound people receiving home health care through the Visiting Nurse Association improved their ability to manage their medications and care for themselves.
"The good news is that by investing in quality programs, we can produce real results in our community," says Hackman. "Each of us benefits in some way from United Way partner and affiliated agencies."
Yale traditionally is one of the largest contributors to New Haven's United Way drive. In a letter to faculty and staff who contributed to last year's fundraising campaign, Yale Vice President and Secretary Linda K. Lorimer noted, "These are increasingly difficult times for many members of our community. A weak economy, rising unemployment and state and federal cutbacks combine to create a significant, and in many cases devastating, impact on our local agencies and the people they serve. For example, in the last two years, Youth Continuum, one of the few agencies providing shelter and support for homeless teens, has seen an almost 30% cut in federal and state funding.
"Through United Way, we can work together to help fill the gap," she continued.
The United Way ensures that donations are used wisely by the agencies it supports through a strict accountability process.
Several donor options are available to Yale employees, including the option of making a contribution via payroll deduction. Descriptions of these options are available at the New Haven United Way website at www.uwgnh.org/campaign/tool_donor.cfm. All faculty and staff members, as well as local retirees, will be sent letters and pledge forms in the mail. University employees are also invited to make a pledge online by visiting the Yale campaign's website at http://mire.med.yale.edu/lcdb//unitedway/default.htm. This site also has general information about the campaign. Specific questions can also be addressed to Judith Hackman at (203) 432-2757.
Working with Hackman to lead Yale's campaign are Yale College Dean Richard H. Brodhead (see profile, this page), who is chair of the Yale Leadership Campaign, which raises gifts of $1,000 or more; Irwin Birnbaum, the chief operating officer at the School of Medicine, who is associate chair of the University's campaign; Laura Freebairn-Smith, director of the Organizational Development and Learning Center, who is the campaign's past chair; David Newton, director of University Properties, who is chair of the New Haven Leadership Campaign; and Claudia Merson, the coordinator of the Public School Partnership, who is chair of Yale's Day of Caring book drive.
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