Colorado Combined Campaign Needs
Our Support – October 9, 2008

Dear Colleagues:

The Colorado Combined Campaign is an annual statewide campaign that allows Colorado State University faculty and staff to contribute to charitable agencies across Colorado through payroll deduction and other convenient means. In the coming days, as a University employee, you will receive information on how you can contribute to the 2008 Colorado Combined Campaign. This marks the eighth year CSU has participated in this statewide initiative.

The statewide Campaign raised more than $1.6 million in 2007 with 13 percent of state employees participating. Over the past eight years, CSU employees alone have contributed nearly $1.5 million to the campaign, a testament to our University’s support for the people and communities of our state.

Since 2000, when CSU first joined the Colorado Combined Campaign, we have regularly led the state in dollars donated to support our state's charitable and human service agencies. This legacy underscores both CSU's commitment to helping our neighbors — and the recognition by each of us that we are leaders in the statewide community and the towns in which we live.

However, perhaps as a reflection of the difficult economic times, the dollars raised each year by the CSU community have slipped in the past three years, as has the number of employees donating. I encourage all of us in the CSU community to help reverse this trend in 2008. Colorado’s charitable and human service organizations are facing greatly increased demand and need our support more than ever. You have the opportunity, through your contribution, to send a message of support and to make a real difference in the lives of Coloradans — helping to feed hungry children, providing critical services for seniors, ensuring access to medical care for those in need, and in countless other ways that help to keep our state strong.

You may contribute to any of the 750 organizations participating in the Colorado Combined Campaign through payroll deductions, credit card contributions, or by one-time check or cash contributions. You may designate your gift for the agencies of your choice. If you would like assistance to complete the pledge card, or have a question about the campaign, visit the campaign Web site at http://today.colostate.edu/ccc.

Thank you for your support of the Colorado Combined Campaign — and let's make this one of the most successful campaigns ever!

Sincerely,

Larry Edward Penley
President