Dear CSU Colleagues:

This has been a challenging year for our country and community, as we’ve weathered the challenges of wildfires, hurricanes, and ongoing economic struggles. In tough times, both of us are personally grateful for those charities and non-profits that make a real and immediate difference in people’s lives — feeding the hungry, aiding the sick, and getting emergency assistance to people displaced by disaster.

Those are the kind of organizations we all have the opportunity to support this fall through the Colorado Combined Campaign. The Colorado Combined Campaign is our one opportunity each year — as employees of the State of Colorado — to make charitable contributions via payroll deduction. We at CSU support the campaign so that we can offer this convenience to faculty and staff — and because donations we give through the CCC come back to help make our communities stronger and more healthy.

You should have received your paper pledge form already, and all University departments and offices have also received a copy of the CCC Resource Guide, which lists the charities to which you can contribute. If you need a new pledge form, you can contact Katie Woodcox in the Office of the President at (970) 491-6211, and you can also make a contribution or review the resource guide online at www.colorado.gov/ccc/. The campaign began November 1 and continues through January 1. Additional information can be found on the Faculty & Staff website.

Your choice of whether to give — and to what organizations — is completely up to you, and that information is kept confidential to the extent possible; it’s not shared with your department or co-workers. But we hope you’ll remember that even gifts of just a few dollars can make a big difference. According to the United Way of Larimer County (one of the agencies you can support through the Colorado Combined Campaign), a gift of just $5 a week will provide ALL of the following: 15 meals for senior citizens or the homebound, a prescription co-pay for a low-income citizen; a night of shelter for a homeless family; a week of after-school care for a child; a year of bus transportation for a disabled person; and a night at a safehouse for a victim of abuse. That’s a huge impact.

Last year, we together contributed more than $130,000 to area charities through the CCC. And while this seems like a lot, it barely scratches the surface in terms of the needs that are out there. This is a tough time for Colorado charities, many of which are facing fewer donations and an ever-increasing demand for services. They need our help — so let’s show them, once again, that CSU cares. Please join us in lending a hand today by making a pledge to the Colorado Combined Campaign.

Thank you for doing what you can — and best wishes for a great Thanksgiving season.

Dr. Tony Frank
President

Dr. Temple Grandin
2012 Honorary Campaign Chair

Note: While the Northern Colorado Aids Project is mistakenly listed in the CCC Resource Guide this year, it is not actually participating in this year’s campaign. If you have already designated a donation for NCAP, a representative from CCC will contact you to discuss it. Otherwise, please note this change.