If United Way organizers have their way, the UBC campus will be rife with pyjamas, bathrobes and slippers on Nov. 13.
That’s the date of the UBC Community United Way campaign’s officially sanctioned PJ Day, which gives all members of the campus community an opportunity to wear their favourite lounging clothes to campus.
The one catch: You have to buy a cute United Way button, available at the UBC Bookstore, Koerner Library and some food service outlets.
The PJ Day is one of many new components of the university’s annual campaign for the United Way, which this year made a number of changes to better reflect the values of the university community.
Gone are the mass mail-outs, the flyers and the paper donation forms. In an effort to curb paper waste, the campaign has launched the online United Way @ Work, which allows employees to donate through a web portal.
“We used almost 45,000 sheets of paper in last year’s campaign,” says campaign chair Lynn Newman, assistant dean, students, in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems. “This year, we’ve cut it down to about 1,500.”
Staff members who would prefer a paper form can still contact organizers to request one.
The oversized thermometer is also absent, as increasing participation – not achieving a dollar figure – is one of this year’s campaign goals.
Given the campus’s reach, that involvement is essential.
“The United Way is second only to the provincial government as the largest provider of social services in the Lower Mainland, and UBC’s campaign is the largest in the area,” Newman says. “The campus community’s involvement can mean a world of difference to those in need.”
And there are ample ways to participate. Faculty, staff and students can organize an event among friends and colleagues, or join in one of the many bake sales, raffles, and 50/50 draws taking place across campus. Among the top prizes is a one-year campus parking pass.
For the first time, a group of philanthropists will match any new individual donation (as long as it is over $20), or an individual donation that is increased by 15 per cent from the year previously.
All employees who donate will be put into a draw for the grand prize: two tickets to anywhere Air Canada flies in North America (excluding Hawaii).
Watch UBC Events for upcoming events, and visit the campaign website for news, videos and more information: www.unitedway.ubc.ca.
