Aside from the ability to give online this year https://www.givingmatters365.org/_ctemployeegiving/ we have a few other new features at Storrs.
On select Thursdays, we will be hosting representatives from some of the charities most popular with our employees. On select Thursdays, we will be hosting representatives from some of the charities most popular with our employees. This Thursday, November 12th, Tom DeCoursey, the Director of National Campaign Engagement for GLOBAL IMPACT will be at the Student Union across from Chuck & Augie's Restaurant from 11:30 to 1:30.
Additionally, we’ve asked some employees who’ve routinely given to this campaign to tell us why they give and how they decide which charities to give to. We will share their stories with you periodically at http://csec.uconn.edu and in the Daily Digest.
Here’s what Cathy Downs, Administrative Assistant to the Vice President for Student Affairs in Storrs told us.
Why I Give: Cathy Downs
I give because I feel fortunate to be able to say that I have been a state employee for twenty-one years — seventeen of those have been at UConn. It is very important to be able to give back and help those that might need it.
My choice of charities is quite personal. When my daughters were younger and in Girl Scouts, I supported that charity because of the work they were doing with girls, and at the time I was an Assistant Troop Leader. In 2006, and again in 2009, two family members were diagnosed with two different cancers, and I wanted to be able to help with the research and work that was being done for all cancer patients, so I began to give to the American Cancer Society. Now, today, I am a one-year cancer survivor, and I was able to reach out to the American Cancer Society for help while going through my own treatments. I like to think that every little bit will go a long way to help so many individuals in so many ways.
I think it is important for everyone to give back in some small way by supporting a charity that they feel passionate about. If every state employee contributed even $1 per paycheck to a charity of their choice, just think of the funds that would be available to support so many.
As state employees, it would send a strong message that we all care.
For more information, contact: Paula Enderle at paula.enderle@uconn.edu