The university is lending a hand to United Way, pledging to raise $600,000 for the organization’s 2000 fund-raising campaign.
Several different campus-oriented events have already been scheduled to help raise money.
The campus-wide effort has benefited the charitable organization for several years, but this year brings about some changes.
The leaders of the Capital Area United Way campaign are also leaders at MSU - President M. Peter McPherson and his wife Joanne.
“I believe in the United Way and the work it does,” said McPherson, who in the past has donated money to the United Way. “And I believe that MSU has a community leadership role.”
MSU is pledging to raise 10 percent of the Capital Area’s record-setting goal of $6.9 million. And university officials say it’s nothing unusual for MSU to help out the United Way.
“MSU has always been a very instrumental part of the United Way campaign, but will be even more so this year because the president and Mrs. McPherson are the co-chairs of the entire campaign,” said Angela Brown, director of University Housing.
The university’s Community Charitable Campaign is one of several in the Lansing area with a goal to benefit service-providing agencies that receive funding from the Capital Area United Way.
About 232 people representing MSU organizations and departments were trained Sept. 19 on how to form their own fund-raising activities. The campaign continues until Nov. 13.
Participants include academic departments, residence halls, student organizations, retirees and other university staff members.
“From my perspective, there probably isn’t anything that brings Michigan State together like the United Way campaign,” said Marylee Davis, a higher education professor who chairs the university’s fund-raising campaign.
The campaign will benefit numerous area organizations such as the American Red Cross, MSU Safe Place and Habitat for Humanity.
Mark Rinella, resident director of Rather Hall, has helped coordinate one initiative to encourage and recognize students for campaign efforts. The initiative involves a contest among halls, floors and student organizations.
Special prizes will be awarded to weekly winners and a grand prize to the month’s winner. Rinella said the contest encourages students to create fund-raising activities.
“(I’d) say a dollar a student is a realistic goal and we are hoping to surpass that goal,” he said.
Anyone interested in participating in the campaign challenge can notify Rinella at rinella1@msu.edu.
