The University's 2004 contribution to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign marks the highest amount ever given by any state agency in the Campaign's history, said Dana Rivera, administer of the CVC program at the University. The 2004 donation season marked the 12th year in a row that the University led all other state agencies in contributions to the CVC, with University employees giving $636,759, said Rivera.
The CVC is a charitable-giving program. Donations given to the program go towards various charities, health and human services programs and medical research, among other programs.
"I'm very proud of the fact that we are the biggest single donor in the Commonwealth," said David Cattell-Gordon, honorary chair of the 2004 CVC campaign at the University.
The University surpassed its 2004 contributions goal of $525,000 by over 20 percent, with contributions from one in every four full-time University employees, Rivera said.
The vice presidents of the various University departments oversee all pledge activities within their department.
"To make things interesting, we set up a very friendly competition within the various vice president units within the University," Rivera said.
The University surpassed other Commonwealth public institutions, such as Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia Tech, in donations this year.
"We may have split with [Virginia Tech] over basketball, but we smoked them in the CVC," Cattell-Gordon said.
This year, CVC donations went to over 400 charities, many of which are locally-based. The Thomas Jefferson Area United Way was the top recipient at $58,561, Rivera said.
The CVC contributions from University employees will benefit many charities within the Charlottesville community, something Cattell-Gordon said he believes will help eliminate the sentiment that the University is separate from and uninvolved in the community.
"It's really an assertion that we are a community and we are responsible for taking care of each other," he said.
Some University employees who donated to CVC said they were concerned that their contributions would not go directly to the Charlottesville community.
"A state-wide entity in Richmond determines its priorities," University President John T. Casteen, III said in an e-mail. "I don't hear very many concerns about this arrangement, but when complaints come they almost always involve a donor's preference to give directly to a local charity."
The past year also has marked an increase in contributions from employees within the University Medical Center.
According to Cattell-Gordon, the staff at the Medical Center has first-hand contact with many of the community members who need aid from local charities and who will benefit from the money that goes to CVC.
Some said they feel the University's continuing trend of leadership in donations to the CVC reflects positively on University employees.
"I believe that U.Va. employees are establishing a tradition of giving and caring," said Ida Lee Wootten, chair of the CVC at the University.
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