Approximately 250 donors designated their gifts to benefit UT Dallas programs during North Texas Giving Day.
UT Dallas received more than $130,000 in donations –– 62 percent of which went to the Callier Center for Communication Disorders –– from generous alumni, friends, faculty and staff during the sixth annual North Texas Giving Day on Sept. 18.
Powered by Communities Foundation of Texas, North Texas Giving Day is one of the largest communitywide online giving events in the nation. Qualified nonprofits receive bonus funds when donors contribute $25 or more.
Approximately 250 donors designated their gifts to benefit programs across the University, including Alumni Relations, Athletics, the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences’ Center for Brain Health, the Center for Children and Families, the Center for Vital Longevity, CentralTrak and a number of schools.
The Callier Center, which received almost $80,000 in contributions (more than double from the previous year), used the opportunity to launch its “Be a HEAR O” campaign. Donors, or “HEAR Os,” who supported the campaign will help children in need receive two hearing aids and three years of follow-up services.
“I am deeply moved by the benevolence of our alumni, grateful patients, friends, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Thomas Campbell, the Ludwig Michael, MD, Executive Director of the Callier Center and Sara T. Martineau Professor. “Their compassion gives children who struggled to hear yesterday, the ability to hear today. This kind of gift is priceless.”
“Their compassion gives children who struggled to hear yesterday, the ability to hear today. This kind of gift is priceless.”
Dr. Thomas Campbell,
the Ludwig Michael, MD, Executive Director of the Callier Center and Sara T. Martineau Professor
Alumni and friends of the University also supported the Academic Bridge Program, which recruits first-generation college students to UT Dallas and helps them complete their education.
Each year, approximately 185 students who have a high class ranking but may not have received a university-track curriculum are selected. Students entering the program participate in an intensive summer session before their freshman year and receive ongoing support throughout their college years, including tutoring, mentoring and peer advising by senior students in the program.
“I am thrilled that the community is reaching out through North Texas Giving Day to help students here in Dallas have the opportunity to be the first in their families to attend college,” said Dr. George W. Fair, dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and vice president for diversity and community engagement at UT Dallas.
Since 2009, more than $86 million has been raised for area nonprofits through North Texas Giving Day. This year, 1,580 nonprofits benefited from the day, with contributions totaling more than $26.3 million, a record. Gifts made to UT Dallas count toward Realize the Vision: The Campaign for Tier One & Beyond.