Way to give! UA Cares netted more than $268,000 in donations – a 30% jump

The University community once again stepped up for those in need through the annual UA Cares campaign. The 2022 effort raised a total of $268,727.58 in monetary donations – an increase of more than 30% over the previous year. The total includes money from payroll deductions, department and unit fundraisers and one-time donations.

Of that total, $249,067.80 came from payroll deductions, with $148,464 of those donations going to University programs through the University of Arizona Foundation.

University employees also logged 3,135 volunteer hours on 113 service projects through the United Way Days of Caring, which the University sponsored for the first time.

"The success of this year's UA Cares workplace giving campaign is inspiring, but unsurprising," said Nick Hilton, assistant director in the Office of Government and Community Relations and coordinator of UA Cares. "Wildcats are no strangers to tackling big challenges, which is exactly why our UA Cares ambassadors and campus community have made this year's campaign one of the most successful of the past 10 years."

UA Cares raises funds for University programs through the University of Arizona Foundation and for nonprofit organizations through the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. The 2022 campaign ran from Sept. 30-Nov. 11 with Joellen Russell, Distinguished Professor of geosciences, serving as honorary chair.

"This year, the love and care our employees have for our campus and Tucson community were never more clear – I was deeply impressed with the generosity and kindness expressed by our University folk in both donations and volunteering," Russell said. "I could not be prouder of how well we all did. I hope that the generous Wildcat spirit can do even better next year."

Some highlights from the 2022 campaign:

 The Office of the Provost's Día de los Muertos-themed Pumpkin-Crafting Contest raised $1,027.78 for the Campus Pantry. Voters chose Dr. Seuss as next year's theme.
 Barry Brummund, the University's chief information officer, and University Information Technology Services helped organize an institutionwide blood drive, which Hilton says resulted in enough blood donations to save 195 lives.
 UITS and the College of Education, led by Dean Robert Berry, partnered to organize a service effort in which 75 University employees worked on several projects at Laguna Elementary School in the Flowing Wells Unified School District. Volunteers planted 15 trees, cleared more than 20 yards of weeds and trash, and cleaned up a previously unusable bicycle track.
 The Engineering Research Administration Service hosted "Lunch For Paws," which featured lunch and the opportunity to play with several adoptable puppies. The event raised $890 for the Friends of the Pima Animal Care Center.
A UA Cares culmination and recognition event in being planned, Hilton said.

"We will continue to improve our campaign and grow our positive impact on the community through raising awareness of the opportunity to serve," Hilton said. "There are still many people on campus who are unfamiliar with our UA Cares campaign and other initiatives from our office that empower employees to give back to the community year-round."

Those initiatives include University blood drives, which happen each fall and spring, the annual UA 4 Food campaign, and ongoing fundraising for the Employee Emergency Fund, which aids benefit-eligible employees who face temporary hardship due to unexpected emergency expenses.

Hilton says he is setting up committees to support those efforts. Those who are interested can contact him at hilton@arizona.edu.

Read the Lo Que Pasa article about the

The University community once again stepped up for those in need through the annual UA Cares campaign. The 2022 effort raised a total of $268,727.58 in monetary donations – an increase of more than 30% over the previous year. The total includes money from payroll deductions, department and unit fundraisers and one-time donations.

Of that total, $249,067.80 came from payroll deductions, with $148,464 of those donations going to University programs through the University of Arizona Foundation.

University employees also logged 3,135 volunteer hours on 113 service projects through the United Way Days of Caring, which the University sponsored for the first time.

"The success of this year's UA Cares workplace giving campaign is inspiring, but unsurprising," said Nick Hilton, assistant director in the Office of Government and Community Relations and coordinator of UA Cares. "Wildcats are no strangers to tackling big challenges, which is exactly why our UA Cares ambassadors and campus community have made this year's campaign one of the most successful of the past 10 years."

UA Cares raises funds for University programs through the University of Arizona Foundation and for nonprofit organizations through the United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona. The 2022 campaign ran from Sept. 30-Nov. 11 with Joellen Russell, Distinguished Professor of geosciences, serving as honorary chair.

"This year, the love and care our employees have for our campus and Tucson community were never more clear – I was deeply impressed with the generosity and kindness expressed by our University folk in both donations and volunteering," Russell said. "I could not be prouder of how well we all did. I hope that the generous Wildcat spirit can do even better next year."

Some highlights from the 2022 campaign:

•  The Office of the Provost's Día de los Muertos-themed Pumpkin-Crafting Contest raised $1,027.78 for the Campus Pantry. Voters chose Dr. Seuss as next year's theme.
•  Barry Brummund, the University's chief information officer, and University Information Technology Services helped organize an institutionwide blood drive, which Hilton says resulted in enough blood donations to save 195 lives.
•  UITS and the College of Education, led by Dean Robert Berry, partnered to organize a service effort in which 75 University employees worked on several projects at Laguna Elementary School in the Flowing Wells Unified School District. Volunteers planted 15 trees, cleared more than 20 yards of weeds and trash, and cleaned up a previously unusable bicycle track.
•  The Engineering Research Administration Service hosted "Lunch For Paws," which featured lunch and the opportunity to play with several adoptable puppies. The event raised $890 for the Friends of the Pima Animal Care Center.

A UA Cares culmination and recognition event in being planned, Hilton said.

"We will continue to improve our campaign and grow our positive impact on the community through raising awareness of the opportunity to serve," Hilton said. "There are still many people on campus who are unfamiliar with our UA Cares campaign and other initiatives from our office that empower employees to give back to the community year-round."

Those initiatives include University blood drives, which happen each fall and spring, the annual UA 4 Food campaign, and ongoing fundraising for the Employee Emergency Fund, which aids benefit-eligible employees who face temporary hardship due to unexpected emergency expenses.

Hilton says he is setting up committees to support those efforts. Those who are interested can contact him at hilton@arizona.edu.

Read the Lo Que Pasa article about the launch of the 2022 campaign.