A number of faculty and staff responded with a pledge to the 2013 Cornell United Way Campaign following President David Skorton’s campaign update Jan. 29. Including these gifts, the university is at nearly 95 percent of its goal.

The campaign committee asks that staff and faculty who have not yet contributed to the campaign consider doing so now. “You can make the difference, even if you only pledge a dollar a paycheck,” says Vice President KyuJung Whang, Cornell United Way campaign chair.

Whang says that each year the Tompkins County United Way sets a campaign goal based on careful study of the needs in our community – for those in crisis, youth at risk, seniors, the environment and more. Cornell staff, faculty and students play a crucial role each year, contributing almost 40 percent of the total.

But, he says, “that amount is carried by less than 12 percent of our Cornell population.” By comparison, he notes, the participation rate of a local manufacturing firm is at 24 percent, and at a major local retailer, it is at 94 percent.

As of Feb. 5, the Cornell community had raised more than $767,000 of the goal of $815,000. But every dollar is very important, says University Librarian Anne Kenney, Cornell United Way campaign deputy chair. “For every $25 received, we can provide 138 pounds of food or serve six hot, nutritious meals to those who need it,” she says.

To make a contribution, complete your pledge card and send it via campus mail or access unitedway.cornell.edu to download a pledge card or to pledge online.