Patricia Zahn, chair of the UMSL Month of Community Giving campaign and manager of community outreach at UMSL, helps build a better St. Louis with Habitat for Humanity. (Photo by August Jennewin)
Give a little, help a lot. It’s the University of Missouri–St. Louis’ Month of Community Giving, an annual campus giving campaign that benefits the causes of the United Way of Greater St. Louis and the Community Health Charities of Kansas and Missouri. Combined, they are community partners to more than 250 nonprofit organizations.
“Each one of us individually and collectively are responsible for the community in which we live,” said Patricia Zahn, chair of the campaign and manager of community outreach at UMSL. “We can make it a better place directly through our service, and we can help others through our charitable giving.”
In celebration of UMSL’s Jubilee, the campaign is encouraging donations of $50 or more. “Be the next $50” is the slogan that will hopefully drive the UMSL community to exceed this year’s theme-appropriate goal of $75,050.
The push to improve the St. Louis area is all ready to go. Oct. 4-6, students and their family members will join together in service activities on and off campus as part of UMSL’s Family Weekend. Click here to read more coverage.
Throughout the month other student organizations plan to lend a helping hand. The UMSL Hispanic Latino Association will be volunteering as interpreters at the Holy Trinity health fair, and UMSL nursing students will host a children’s interactive health village with health-themed game booths at the Beyond Housing health festival in St. Vincent Park this month.
“I am proud to be a part of UMSL and am pleased to work in a place that recognizes and embraces a mission of community impact,” Zahn said. “Working together we can — and do — make a difference for the St. Louis region.”
The campaign begins Oct. 1 and ends Oct 31. All participants will be entered into a random drawing for $100. Those who donate $50 or more will be entered into a random drawing to win one of several prizes provided by Maritz (*for those who donate to United Way), the UMSL Office of Student Life, College of Nursing, Bookstore, Center for Teaching and Learning, Missouri Institute of Mental Health, the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center and others. Some of the prizes include:
St. Louis Rams vs. Chicago Bears tickets
Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi Tablet*
$25 Bread Co. gift cards
LG 32″ LCD TV*
Dyson Hot & Cool Fan*
$25 UMSL Bookstore certificate
Fitbit Zip Wireless Activity Tracker*
Apple TV with 2 Year AppleCare Protection Plan*
Touhill tickets to “The Nutcracker”
Relaxation and wellness basket
Send donations by mail on or before Oct. 31 to Patricia Zahn at 426 Woods Hall, University of Missouri–St. Louis, 1 University Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63121.
The first of the two random drawings will be held on Oct. 16 at 12:30 p.m. in the Nosh for people whose contribution or pledge is received by noon that day. Only some of the prizes will be awarded that afternoon. The second drawing for the remaining prizes will be held Nov. 6, and winners will be notified by email.
“But more important than incentive prizes,” Zahn said, ” is that donating to the UMSL Month of Community Giving campaign makes a difference for REAL people in the St. Louis community.”
