Crownover’s United Way matching offer continues through Jan. 22

Celebrate the United Way Campaign’s end at Pie Fest Jan. 22

The Rice United Way Campaign ends this month, and Rice Board of Trustees Chair Jim Crownover ’65 has extended his generous matching offer through Jan. 22. He will match 2-to-1 all pledges made by first-time Rice campaign donors and match 1-to-1 gifts by all past donors who renew their support, to help the campaign achieve its $175,000 goal and possibly surpass last year’s fundraising total, $192,081.

To celebrate the end of the successful 2012-13 Rice United Way Campaign as well as National Pie Day, the United Way Campaign Committee will host Pie Fest Jan. 22. The event, which will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall, will feature all things pie.

• Pie by the slice, only $1, while it lasts.
• Pie-baking contest: Who will win bragging rights as the best pie baker on the Rice campus? Email Kathy Jones at kjones@rice.edu by Jan. 17 to enter.
• Celebrity pie auction: Bid on pies donated by Mayor Annise Parker ’78, cosmologist Stephen Hawking, former first lady Barbara Bush, University Representative Y. Ping Sun, City Council member Ellen Cohen, Rice Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby, Fox 26 reporter Ned Hibberd ’88 and more.
• Pie-in-the-face raffle: Buy a $1 ticket and win the chance to toss a pie at a favorite campus colleague: Kevin Kirby, vice president for administration; Barbara White Bryson, associate vice president for facilities engineering and planning; David McDonald, director of residential colleges; Eugen Radulescu, director of administrative services; and Ned Thomas, dean of the George R. Brown School of Engineering.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the United Way. Raffle and pie tickets may be purchased in advance. For more information, visit www.rice.edu/unitedway.

When employees give to the United Way, their gifts support the entire community. Donations to the United Way allow Rice’s neighbors the chance for a better tomorrow and by taking advantage of the match offer, Rice employees’ gifts can go even further.

Rice employees can contribute by payroll deduction by logging in to ESTHER (http://esther.rice.edu) or filling out and mailing the United Way pledge form, and their pledge will be divided among the paychecks in 2013. Faculty and staff can also contribute today by cash, check or credit card by printing, completing and mailing the pledge form found at www.rice.edu/unitedway.