The 2016 MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign was a resounding success, with university personnel pledging more than $121,000 to support area nonprofits over the next year.

With a theme of “Shine the Light on Giving,” the University launched the annual campaign in October, with the ultimate goal of raising at least $120,000 to help a host of area nonprofits provide a variety of services to those in need.

Dr. Gloria Bonner

This year’s campaign yielded $121,342 from 665 donors. Last year’s campaign raised $118,000.

Employees could designate gifts to any charitable organization from a list of 13 independent charities and three federated charitable organizations including Community Health Charities, Community Shares, and local United Ways.

“Consistent with the mission of the institution, we have always been about supporting others and building community,” said Dr. Gloria Bonner, campaign chair and assistant to the president in the Office of Community Engagement, in a message thanking the campus community and campaign planning committee.

“Everybody wins when you touch the lives of individuals and families in meaningful and impactful ways through charitable giving. These positive results have benefits that create a ripple effect throughout the community as a whole.”

Meanwhile, the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, with roughly 75 percent of its employees participating in the campaign, again took home the Provost Cup for the fourth year in a row as the academic unit having the highest rate of employee participation.

Dr. Sidney A. McPhee

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee applauded the entire campus community for reaching and surpassing this year’s goal.

“This campaign represents the very definition of what it means to be True Blue,” McPhee said. “We’re blessed to be a part of this institution and this community, so pledging these funds to support the critical services provided by these many nonprofits is a very tangible way to show our appreciation while at the same time helping our neighbors in need. My sincere thanks to every MTSU employee who was able to give.”

Anyone with questions about this year’s Employee Charitable Giving Campaign should contact Allison McGoffin in the Office of the Provost at 898-2953.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

MTSU sets $120K goal for charitable giving effort [+VIDEO]

Oct. 10, 2016

MTSU Interim Provost Mark Byrnes choked up as he shared how the MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign personally helped his family several years ago.

His daughter, Abby, just shy of her fourth birthday at the time, suffered a major stroke following complications from an E. coli infection one summer, eventually requiring ongoing specialized care from a local Christian-based nonprofit, Special Kids Therapy and Nursing Center.

“We really quickly went from people who gave a little bit of extra money to charity to people who needed help. … It wasn’t theoretical anymore, it was real,” Byrnes told the crowd of university leaders gathered at the Student Union Building to kick off the annual charitable giving campaign.

While noting an abundance of help from relatives, their church and others, Byrnes emphasized that such support couldn’t substitute for the institutional help his family needed from organizations such as Special Kids to help Abby.

Now 15 and almost as tall as he is, he said Abby enjoys a better quality of life because of that support.

Dr. Gloria Bonner

“At the drop of a hat, our lives can change,” Byrnes reminded the crowd. “Thanks for the giving you’ve done, but I urge you to join me in giving again this year.”

With a goal of $120,000 in pledges and a theme of “Shine the Light on Giving,” the University is conducting the annual campaign through Nov. 1, with the ultimate goal of helping a host of area nonprofits fulfill their missions of providing a variety of services to those in the community in need.

“With just over 2,200 employees here at MTSU, this goal can be easily attained if each employee pledged $55 per year,” said Dr. Gloria Bonner, campaign chair and assistant to the president in the Office of Community Engagement. “That’s just $4.55 per month.”

The payroll deduction option is again available and “is a very cost effective way of making your gift,” noted Bonner, who also reminds 2016 donors that their contribution doesn’t automatically roll over into the new year, so a new pledge form must be filled out.

Donations can be made online at www.mtsu.edu/givemtsu, where employees can also find campaign brochures and updates.

Speaking at the kickoff, MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee again urged the deans, department chairs, top administrators and campus leaders in attendance to set an example for their staffs and “raise the bar on giving.”

Last year’s campaign raised $118,000.

“Even though we are in a region that economically is one of the most prosperous regions in the country in terms of economic growth, there’s still a tremendous amount of need across the board for members of this community,” McPhee said. “We really need to find a way to step up.”

MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee encourages university leaders to lend their support to this year’s Employee Charitable Giving Campaign during the Sept. 27 campaign kickoff inside the Student Union Ballroom. (MTSU photos by J. Intintoli)

University colleges will again have the extra incentive of trying to wrestle the Provost Cup from the Jennings A. Jones College of Business, which had just over 80 percent of employees participate last year. The college is seeking to win the cup for the fourth year in a row for having the highest rate of employee participation.

MTSU alumna Meagan Flippin, president and CEO of United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, talks about the importance of giving at this year’s Employee Charitable Giving Campaign kickoff, held Sept. 27 inside the Student Union Ballroom.

With the shiny Provost Cup again in hand at this year’s kickoff, Jones College Dean David Urban shared a story of being involved with United Way a few years ago to help children in need with back-to-school clothes.

While helping a young boy find the right size shoes to purchase, Urban said his daughter, whom he brought along to help, realized that the boy had never had a pair of shoes that fit properly.

“People who need our help are all around us,” he said.

Prizes throughout the month will include drawings for luggage and parking passes.

McPhee sweetened the incentive to give at the kickoff event by offering a reception at the President’s House, club-level passes for athletic events and five tickets midcourt for Blue Raiderhoops games for divisions or colleges achieving 90 percent participation.

MTSU alumna Meagan Flippin, president and CEO of United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties, explained how a program through her organization was able to help an MTSU student with emergency funds to pay a utility bill and buy clothing for her children while she cared for her son, who needed a bone marrow transplant.

“Giving is really a lifestyle,” Flippin said. “Giving should really be who you are and not just an act that you do.”

Anyone with questions about this year’s Employee Charitable Giving Campaign should contact Allison McGoffin in the Office of the Provost at 898-2953.

— Jimmy Hart (jimmy.hart@mtsu.edu)

John Hood, director in the MTSU Office of Community Engagement and Support, holds a True Blue lantern as he announces the theme for this year’s Employee Charitable Giving Campaign — “Shine the Light on Giving” — during the Sept. 27 campaign kickoff inside the Student Union Ballroom.

Jennifer Dillon, left, of Special Kids Therapy and Nursing Center, chats with Casey Warren, right, of United Way of Rutherford and Cannon Counties during the MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign kickoff held Sept. 27 inside the Student Union Ballroom.

Jones College of Business Dean David Urban holds up the Provost Cup during the Sept. 27 campaign kickoff of the annual Employee Charitable Giving Campaign inside the Student Union Ballroom. The Jones College has won three years in a row for its top employee participation rate.

Tracey Hawks, left, of Community Shares and Stephanie Pearson of FACES chat during the MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign kickoff held Sept. 27 inside the Student Union Ballroom.

Interim Provost Mark Byrnes shares during the Sept. 27 campaign kickoff how the MTSU Employee Charitable Giving Campaign helped his family.