UVA Supports Neighbors Through ‘Give Where You Live’ Donations

University of Virginia students, faculty and staff are encouraged to continue the tradition of supporting Charlottesville and beyond during the 2024 Give Where You Live campaign, which connects the University with local nonprofit organizations.

Highlighting significant needs in the region, 2024 campaign co-chairs Jennifer “J.J.” Wagner Davis, UVA’s chief operating officer; Kevin McDonald, UVA vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and community partnerships; and Dave Martel, UVA vice president for communications and chief marketing officer, reached out to the University community via email, urging them to donate directly to local nonprofits and provide “important support to our community.”

“UVA’s Give Where You Live campaign is a wonderful opportunity for us to come together and support the organizations that do so much for our region. However you choose to give, we hope you will help uphold UVA’s tradition of being a good neighbor,” they wrote.

Aleen Carey, co-executive director of Cultivate Charlottesville, said donations are critical to that organization’s mission for promoting food justice. 

“I think one of the things we see about UVA in general, whether it’s folks who are attending the University or working in some capacity at the University, is they want to give back to the community,” Carey said. “They are from the community, they’re of the community, or they’ve made the community their home, in the case of some of the students, and they want to see those ways to make the entire community better.”

Launched in 2023 as an alternative to the Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign, the Give Where You Live campaign allows Wahoos to donate directly to local nonprofits, ensuring that 100% of their contributions go to their chosen organizations.

Additional information about the campaign and a list of local nonprofits, including those historically receiving significant support from the UVA workforce, is available on the Give Where You Live webpage. The campaign runs through Dec. 31.

“Give Where You Live is important, because you’re making a huge impact right in your backyard where you might not know it’s happening,” said Connor Gillespie, outreach supervisor for the Wildlife Center of Virginia, which relies on donations to provide medical care for native animals people find and deliver to the center. 

In addition to donating directly, the Give Where You Live campaign co-chairs included other ways members of the University community can support nonprofit groups, from adopting an organization to holding fundraisers and donating proceeds directly to the nonprofit.

“We ask you to continue doing what the UVA community has done for decades: Be a good neighbor to our region by donating to a nonprofit of your choosing,” they wrote in the email.