Employee gifts of time, money benefit local groups

Angela Groom, a fourth-year pharmacy student and a volunteer at the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic, discusses medication with a patient. Photo by Rex Bavousett.

One measure of the University’s direct return to the larger community can be seen in the UI’s fall direct-mail campaign for charitable giving, this year benefiting nearly 80 local charitable agencies and organizations.

In 2000, Community Health Charities, Iowa Shares, and United Way of Johnson County received more than $430,000 directly attributable to the University’s fall direct-mail campaign. Of course, staff, faculty, retirees, students, and their families also give directly to local churches and charities, so the number is more an indicator than a total.

Jim Swanstrom, president of Community Health Charities of Iowa, describes University giving to the campaign as "very generous."

"From the fall campaign, we benefited to the tune of $17,500," he says. "We are delighted to be in the campaign."

The organization, which supports 16 local agencies, focuses on health education and research.

United Way of Johnson County, the largest organization in the campaign, counts $391,450 from the campaign. Andrea Proulx Buinicki, resource development director for the organization, says that "with the University’s 2000 fall direct-mail piece, we saw a 13.4 percent increase in giving over last year, accounting for 22 percent of our total campaign. I’m impressed.

"When University departments invite me to talk about United Way, I always stress that the money raised locally is used locally. Most people know United Way from the NFL or other national ads, and they don’t realize the local connection. Like all Iowans, University people want to know where their money is going. When they see it’s to agencies in their own community, they give generously," she says.

The Iowa Shares organization, which counts $23,568 from the campaign, supports agencies that provide direct services and shelters, as well as components of community-building and social justice issues, says Monique DiCarlo, director of the Women’s Resource and Action Center.

"Iowa Shares agencies tend to be interested not only in helping solve people’s short-term problems, but finding out why problems such as homelessness exist, looking for root causes, and working toward more systematic change. That’s a good fit with the University’s mission of service and research."

Much about the campaign fits the spirit of the University.

"In this community, it’s a definite virtue to be collaborative," DiCarlo says. "Agencies supported by the three federations often collaborate on providing services in the community. It follows that when we campaign on behalf of our federations, we work together to offer choices to donors."

And not everyone writes a check.

"Staff and faculty and students at this university give between two and ten hours a week of their time to various agencies on and off campus. That’s a significant contribution," DiCarlo says.

Maureen Connolly, medical director of the Iowa City Free Medical Clinic, agrees.

"The clinic receives about one third of its budget from United Way," Connolly says. "That financial support is invaluable, as are the many volunteer medical and nursing students, physician assistants, and pharmacy students who work here. These busy people are not compelled to be here those extra hours, and they expect no credit or recognition for it from the University. They are here because they want to serve the people in their community."

Article by Charles S. Drum