Announcement Regarding the 66th Columbia Community Service Annual Appeal

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:

With so many in our region still suffering from the damage done by Hurricane Sandy, it is impossible to discuss any charitable effort without thinking of the victims of that great storm.  With that in mind, I am writing to urge all the members of our Columbia community to make a special effort this year to support the Columbia Community Service (CCS) campaign.

Some of the more than 50 CCS agencies are collecting and transporting goods to families made homeless by the storm.  But the reason for renewing support for CCS is different, and familiar:  the CCS agencies continue to do their own urgent work, day in and day out, providing food, shelter, clothing, day care, elder care, health care, afterschool programs, and recreational opportunities for people of Upper Manhattan who would otherwise lack these essentials.  The combination of our still weak economy and Sandy’s devastation has created a heightened need for philanthropy and public service of all types.  To avoid a drop in support for CCS and a loss of services for people in need in our community, we ask you to contribute to the 66th Columbia Community Service Annual Appeal.  (Contributions may be made online at http://communityservice.columbia.edu.)

The cancellation of the CCS Annual Appeal kickoff event scheduled for November 2 took away an opportunity—one we all look forward to—for bringing CCS contributors together with the local agencies funded by the campaign.  Fortunately, the ties binding the Columbia community to CCS are deep and wide.  Last year, the CCS Annual Appeal raised a record $322,000 from more than 1,700 employees of Columbia University, Barnard College, and Teachers College; others volunteered their time and talents.  Now, for the 66th year, we embark on a new CCS campaign of giving.  I am sure that the individual and collective spirit of Columbians will make the campaign a success once again.

As chair of the Columbia Community Service Annual Appeal, I thank everyone who has contributed in the past and look forward to an energetic response by the Columbia community to the unusual circumstances of this year’s campaign.  Only with your continued support does the critically important work of the CCS agencies remain possible.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger