The gift of giving
Extra donations are extra incentive for seniors to donate
By: Editorial Board
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: Opinion
Seniors who have been hesitant to donate to the senior class campaign or just haven't thought about it yet now have an extra incentive to cough up some cash.
UNC alumnus Rye Barcott, who founded the sponsored senior campaign, Carolina for Kibera, gave a lecture Friday on his experiences working with the organization.
The lecture coincided with the announcement that if 30.5 percent of the senior class donates to the senior campaign, anonymous donors will give $25,000 to CFK.
In addition, other donors will match seniors' contributions to CFK of any amount up to $25,000.
We encourage seniors to donate as part of the senior campaign to make sure that this organization receives the donor-pledged funds.
Donations to any of a slew of organizations around campus qualify toward the 30.5 percent mark, so donate to what you are passionate about.
But for those who don't have any specific group in mind for your $20.08, CFK certainly is a worthy cause to consider.
CFK seeks to eliminate abject poverty in Kibera, the largest slum in east Africa. To put the situation in more tangible terms, Kibera is no bigger than Central Park but has a population of about 800,000 people.
Named a Time magazine and Gates Foundation "Hero of Global Health," Barcott and his organization have become a model for community-based development worldwide by aiming to provide Kibera's residents with the knowledge and tools to solve their own problems.
CFK sponsors sports programs, a girls' education center and medical clinics.
The money seniors raise will be used to build an additional wing to a medical clinic.
While recent violence in Kenya had suspended the activities of the volunteers operating in Kibera, the crisis should not discourage donations. The clinics are now open again.
Rather, the instability and devastation wrought to a long-considered "stable" country in Africa underscores the importance of peace and prosperity to a developing nation and just how much work that requires.
Seniors should donate today and help the senior class potentially raise $75,000 for CFK.
We can't think of a better way for them to leave their mark on the campus than by actively upholding one of the University's firmest and most time-tested ideals: altruism.
For more information on how to give, visit giving.unc.edu/annualfund/seniorcampaign/2008.htm.
UNC alumnus Rye Barcott, who founded the sponsored senior campaign, Carolina for Kibera, gave a lecture Friday on his experiences working with the organization.
The lecture coincided with the announcement that if 30.5 percent of the senior class donates to the senior campaign, anonymous donors will give $25,000 to CFK.
In addition, other donors will match seniors' contributions to CFK of any amount up to $25,000.
We encourage seniors to donate as part of the senior campaign to make sure that this organization receives the donor-pledged funds.
Donations to any of a slew of organizations around campus qualify toward the 30.5 percent mark, so donate to what you are passionate about.
But for those who don't have any specific group in mind for your $20.08, CFK certainly is a worthy cause to consider.
CFK seeks to eliminate abject poverty in Kibera, the largest slum in east Africa. To put the situation in more tangible terms, Kibera is no bigger than Central Park but has a population of about 800,000 people.
Named a Time magazine and Gates Foundation "Hero of Global Health," Barcott and his organization have become a model for community-based development worldwide by aiming to provide Kibera's residents with the knowledge and tools to solve their own problems.
CFK sponsors sports programs, a girls' education center and medical clinics.
The money seniors raise will be used to build an additional wing to a medical clinic.
While recent violence in Kenya had suspended the activities of the volunteers operating in Kibera, the crisis should not discourage donations. The clinics are now open again.
Rather, the instability and devastation wrought to a long-considered "stable" country in Africa underscores the importance of peace and prosperity to a developing nation and just how much work that requires.
Seniors should donate today and help the senior class potentially raise $75,000 for CFK.
We can't think of a better way for them to leave their mark on the campus than by actively upholding one of the University's firmest and most time-tested ideals: altruism.
For more information on how to give, visit giving.unc.edu/annualfund/seniorcampaign/2008.htm.
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