Rice Campaign for United Way begins

Rice faculty and staff have helped thousands of less fortunate Houstonians by making record contributions to the United Way of Greater Houston, and they can continue that proud history by making a donation to the 2015-16 Rice Campaign for the United Way, which officially kicks off Sept. 28.

Rice Board Chairman Bobby Tudor ’82 and his wife, Phoebe, are again making a generous offer to those who participate: For a limited time they will match each dollar that employees pledge above their 2014-15 contribution.

“The annual United Way Campaign is one of the most important ways Rice engages with the Greater Houston community, and the Tudors’ generous matching gift will ensure that the contributions of our faculty and staff can make an even greater difference in the lives of people across the city,” said Director of University Relations Greg Marshall ’86, who is the campaign manager.

The goal for this year’s eight-week campaign is $225,000. Last year faculty and staff demonstrated their commitment to giving back to the community with a new high in donations, $253,137.

Rice supports the United Way of Greater Houston because it invests in services that achieve impact and provide a safety net for people in need, transforming lives and creating systemic change in such key areas as education, family financial stability and quality of life for returning veterans, Marshall said.

Employees can make a pledge payable by payroll deductions spread over all paychecks in calendar (and tax) year 2016 by logging in at esther.rice.edu and clicking the “United Way” link to authorize a direct payroll contribution, or use the pledge form on the Rice United Way website, www.rice.edu/unitedway. That same form may also be used to make a cash, check or credit card gift (for tax year 2015).

Honorary chairs for this year’s campaign are Tudor and Rice President David Leebron. Lead donors chair is University Representative Y. Ping Sun. Faculty chair is Herb Ward, professor emeritus of civil and environmental engineering. Staff chair is Tina Villard, director of the Gibbs Recreation Center.

For more information on the United Way campaign, visit www.rice.edu/unitedway.