Dear Members of the Vassar Community,
On behalf of my fellow committee members, I am pleased to announce the start of this year’s Community Works Campaign, and to ask for your support.
Since 2001, the individuals who work, teach, and study at Vassar have pooled their generosity to create a fund that addresses the needs of the broader Hudson Valley community. Community Works distributes these donations to a small number of local agencies and programs that shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, give young people hope and opportunity, and otherwise care for those who need it most. These organizations are carefully chosen both for the good and innovative work they do, and also for compatibility with the principle of non-discrimination.
We are fortunate that in the Hudson Valley there are many organizations that do amazing work with only limited funds. Community Works accepts nominations for recipient organizations from anyone in the Vassar community. Last year we received dozens of nominations, and with great difficulty narrowed this down to ten agencies that each received a roughly $10,000 share of the money we raised. We helped Dutchess Outreach provide emergency food and medicine to families in need and Grace Smith House shelter battered women. We supported the Real Skills Network in building strong values in young people, and aided seven other equally deserving groups. Many of these organizations, in turn, support Vassar’s educational mission by providing internships and field work opportunities.
Even a modest contribution to Community Works helps to support the good work of these organizations. As individuals, our time, energy, and money are limited. Together, we are able to provide meaningful sustenance to these organizations that make a real difference in the lives of the people they serve.
You can make your tax-deductible donation via payroll deduction, credit card, or check. As always, Vassar absorbs all administrative costs, meaning that 100 percent of your donation will go directly to supporting these local agencies.
Once again, any donation above $25 automatically enters you into a raffle to win the campus parking spot of your choice for the 2010 calendar year!
This is a tough year, economically, for all of us. It may be harder than ever to carve out a small portion of your pay to support Community Works. But I hope that those of us who still have jobs and benefits will not forget those who do not. In these tough times, the need is more acute than ever.
On behalf of the sponsored agencies and the Community Works Campaign Committee, I thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Nicholas de Leeuw
Director, Community Works Campaign for 2010