College faculty and staff members showed their holiday spirit in November and December by contributing $32,672 to the 2003 Employees Charitable Campaign.
The Campaign is a state-run program that allows its employees to contribute to charity by taking a one-time deduction from their paycheck, according to Florence Johnson, assistant director of Human Resources.
After the Employees Charitable Campaign receives the donations, it compiles them and sends the money out to the charities.
Vivian Fernandez, vice president for Human Resources, managed the campaign. The College has participated in this program for at least the past 10 years.
This year's total is a substantial increase from the $27,211 raised in 2001, although the College was able to donate $35,020 in 2002.
Participants were able to select the amount of money they wish to contribute.
They were also able to choose which charity would receive their donation.
There are approximately 1,300 charities that receive donations through this program across the state.
Some College faculty and staff members chose to donate money to national organizations such as United Way.
Others chose organizations that work closer to home such as the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (TASK). TASK serves over 2,800 meals per week to people in need in the area.
The Campaign allows the College's Scholarship Fund to be considered a charity, and many of the contributions are sent directly back to the campus.
Faculty and staff members were not the only contributors to the Campaign.
According to Johnson, one intrepid marketing class, taught by Lisa Wolf, adjunct professor of business, raised $1,000 to donate to Womanspace, a local shelter and counseling center for women who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.
"It's nice to see the College work to benefit the community," David Nicotesa, early childhood education major, said. "I think it shows that people would give to charity if they knew of convenient ways to do it," he added.
Of the 1,056 full-time employees at the College, 243 contributed the fund.
For 2004, the Office of Human Resources is planning a Fund Walk as an opening ceremony for the fundraiser next October.
-Information from tcnj.edu
