Credit: University Photograghy

As the 2017-18 Cornell United Way campaign wraps up, President Martha E. Pollack and Cornell United Way co-chairs Andy Noel and Kathy Zoner extended their thanks to the more than 1,000 members of the Cornell community who gave to the campaign this year.

“Together, we have raised more than $682,000 that will help local families, including thousands of Cornellians, receive access to essential programs and services,” Noel and Zoner wrote to the Cornell community Jan. 30. “The importance of our gifts can’t fully be measured with dollars and cents. The generosity of the faculty, staff and students changes lives.”

At a reception Feb. 6 in the Physical Sciences Building for the members of the newly created President’s Leadership Association and Cornell United Way directors who helped promote the campaign in their colleges and units, Pollack thanked all present for their roles in bringing Cornell to 90 percent of its goal of $750,000.

 “I look around this room and see faculty and staff from lots of different schools,” she said. “It makes me really proud to be part of this community.”

Following Pollack’s remarks, James Brown, president and chief executive officer of the United Way of Tompkins County, thanked her for her support and “all of you who have ensured that United Way continues to make a meaningful difference for residents across Tompkins County and beyond.”

Also announced at the reception were the two co-chairs for Cornell’s United Way campaign next year: Pat Wynn, executive director, Campus Life Enterprise Services, and Rick Burgess, vice president for infrastructure, properties and planning.

Two major fundraising events are still ahead: the student-focused Duff Ball, which customarily takes place in May, and the United Way online auction, scheduled for March 9.

“We hope to feature auction items that cannot be replicated elsewhere, highlighting experiences, people and behind-the-scenes tours at Cornell and in the local area,” said Susan Riley, Cornell’s United Way campaign coordinator. “We will have a full list to preview in advance of the auction itself, so save the date and stay tuned.”

Though the formal campaign is wrapping up, pledges still can be made through the http://unitedway.cornell.edu/.