Letter from the Honorary Chair
It has been said, “Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.” The Hearts of Texas Campaign at The University of Texas at Austin is one of those small opportunities that come along, but one that can have a great impact. Last year the faculty and staff at UT Austin raised more than $635,000 for those in need in Central Texas. In fact, the State Employee Charitable Giving Campaign (SECC) awarded the university the 2011 Highest Per Capita Gift award. The recognition is quite an honor and says a lot about the generosity of The University of Texas at Austin faculty and staff.
The 2012 Hearts of Texas Campaign gets underway October 1 and runs through October 31. The campaign’s primary goal is to make it possible for charities to focus more on serving people by decreasing their fundraising costs. With more than 500 charities to choose from, you can select a cause that has particular meaning to you. Your gift, large or small, can allow a charity to feed one more child, provide one more night of shelter for a homeless family, rescue one more animal or conserve one more acre of forest. Every dollar makes a difference.
All eligible charities have been screened and screened by the SECC and include national organizations as well as local organizations. Charities include national organizations such as Doctors Without Borders; organizations that serve the greater Central Texas region such as the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas; and local organizations including The University of Texas at Austin student and staff emergency fund administered through the UT Foundation. To donate or to learn more about the worthy organizations you can help support, please visit Hearts of Texas at http://www.utexas.edu/events/secc/ or contact your departmental representative.
Your gift will help address our community’s most critical needs. Please make a gift today.
Dr. Gregory J. Vincent
Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement
Honorary Chair, Hearts of Texas Campaign
Being able to give to others is one of life’s great joys. We generally refer to acts of giving as “charity,” and in our society we are fortunate to have a number of charitable organizations that help us share our abundance, in whatever way we might choose to give. When we think about charity and being charitable, giving a monetary gift or volunteering our time and ability is typically what comes to mind.