Dear fellow members of the Columbia community:
As I wrote to you in November, the combination of our still-weak economy and Hurricane Sandy’s ongoing devastation has created a heightened need for philanthropy and public service of all types. To avoid a drop in support and a loss of services for people in our local community, I am writing again to urge all Columbians to make a special effort this year to support the Columbia Community Service (CCS) campaign.
Some of the more than 50 CCS agencies collected and distributed goods to families made homeless by the storm. But the reason for renewing support for CCS goes beyond this vital disaster relief: 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.
With this in mind, I ask you again to contribute to the 66th Columbia Community Service Annual Appeal. (Contributions may be made online at http://communityservice.columbia.edu.) If you have already contributed, please consider making an additional one-time donation, since the need to provide extra support for our neighbors is great this year.
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. In this 66th year, I know 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 can we help maintain the critically important work of the CCS agencies in our community.
Sincerely,
Lee C. Bollinger