Online giving to the 2016-17 Cornell United Way campaign has begun and pledge cards are in the mail.

Cornell faculty and staff already have started to respond online to the Oct. 14 email request from campaign co-chairs Andy Noel, the Meakem*Smith Director of Athletics and Physical Education, and Kathy Zoner, chief of the Cornell University Police, to consider a gift to the United Way.

Noel and Zoner affirmed the “considerable sense of responsibility” they feel toward local individuals and families, “given the importance of Cornell’s impact within the overall Tompkins County campaign effort.” They noted that “generous gifts from Cornell faculty, staff and students fund nearly 40 percent of the overall support that families in Tompkins and surrounding counties receive via this important initiative.”

The email message also provided a link to the online giving site and announced that hard-copy pledge cards are being distributed to all members of the Cornell community.

In a video (above), Noel and Zoner emphasize how important these gifts are to those who are less fortunate – especially children and families who “look like things are going fine in their lives.” The campaign provides “an opportunity for us to give within our community,” Zoner said.

For more information about the Cornell campaign, including frequently asked questions, visit www.unitedway.cornell.edu and follow #LiveUnited and #CornellGives on Twitter.