 United Way of Tompkins County Campaign Co-Chairs, Dr. Rob Mackenzie, President & CEO of Cayuga Medical Center and Jean McPheeters, President of the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, hosted a special Campaign Committee Meeting at Robert Purcell Community Center. The Food Bank of the Southern Tier organized a service project, which had the fifty-five volunteers and guests packing 220 backpacks to be distributed as part of the BackPack Program.
United Way funded this program, which provides nutritious snacks over the weekends and during school breaks for students in the Newfield and Ithaca City School Districts. Mackenzie and McPheeters announced that the Community Campaign is at 93% of the $2,000,000 goal and based on other gift commitments, the outlook was promising to meet and even exceed this milestone goal by the closing campaign date of March 31st.
Steve Golding, Executive Vice President for Finance and
Administration at Cornell University, and serving as the Cornell
University United Way Campaign Chair, announced that the employees had
once again given generously and exceeded their $700,000 campus goal,
with donations totaling $784,882 to date.
In addition, Cornell
University has made a three-year commitment to be a Corporate
Cornerstone Partner. A select group of local businesses and Cornell
University have stepped forward to support the Corporate Cornerstone
Program, which funds United Way's overall administrative expenses,
allowing more of the individuals and other corporate donors' gifts to
directly support health and human service programs throughout the
county.
Jonathan Feldman, Cornell University Student and United Way
volunteer, has been instrumental in organizing several successful fund
raising events on campus, all to benefit United Way. Today, Jonathan
had the pleasure of announcing his newest initiative, the Stephen E.
Garner Summers of Service Scholarship. This initiative, funded by
donors' gifts, will provide summer internships for local high school
students at one or more of United Way's 43 member organizations.
Stephen E. Garner was President & CEO of Tompkins Trust Company and
served as United Way's Campaign Chair in 2004 and Board Chair in 2006
before his untimely passing in May 2006. "Steve believed in making our
community a stronger and healthier place for all who live and work
here. He was instrumental in bringing about numerous positive changes
that will continue to benefit the residents of Tompkins County," stated
James Brown, President of UWTC. The annual internships will give high
school students the opportunity to learn firsthand about the health and
human service sector in Tompkins County. Feldman had the honor of
naming the first Stephen E. Garner Summers of Service Scholarship in
honor of Gary Stewart, Assistant Director of Community Relations at
Cornell University, and the impetus behind many of Jonathan's ideas and
efforts during his Cornell experience.
In closing, Campaign
Co-Chairs McPheeters and Mackenzie thanked the community for its
generous support and recognized the outstanding efforts of Jonathan
Feldman and the students from Cornell University.
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