Dear fellow members of the Columbia Community:
It is my pleasure to invite you to the annual kickoff of the Columbia Community Service (CCS) campaign in the Low Library Rotunda. The open house takes place on Monday, October 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and provides an opportunity to meet representatives from more than fifty of the local community organizations that partner with CCS. Light refreshments will be served.
Columbia’s growth and well-being are intertwined with that of the larger community we call home. For sixty-eight years, the Columbia Community Service campaign has been one of the principal ways that students, faculty, and staff reaffirm the bond between public service and education that gives our University its distinctive identity.
Last year, 1,359 faculty and staff members of Columbia University, Barnard College, and Teachers College donated almost $300,000 to the CCS campaign. The funds are used by dozens of local organizations helping those in need with childcare, elder care, basic health care, and many other services. While we are proud of this level of support—and of the fact that 100 percent of donations go directly to our local nonprofit partners—I call on our University community to exceed last year’s total in the new campaign. As you know, the need for this support is undiminished.
Contributions can be made online at http://communityservice.columbia.edu. As the campaign’s Chair, I once again want to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who joins in this important University effort. Whether you have contributed in the past or will be doing so for the first time, I urge everyone to get involved.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger