It is my first fall here in Charlottesville. I am back in the side of the country where the leaves are actually changing. There's so many great things about fall at UVA. The sky is blue, the leaves are orange. And what that means is, CVC is around the corner and it's a great opportunity to give back. So if I run into someone who doesn't  know anything about the CVC campaign, I tell them it's our way to give back to the community. It's a joint campaign for all University employees, anybody connected to UVA.

We pool our money together and give to some great non-profits and charities. Those contributions overall for  UVA to the CVC really add up, and they can make a tangible difference in the lives of people in  our community and around our community. So, I went on and made my donation this morning, it  took me, I would say, including making my choices, less than two minutes. The two organizations that I've chosen to give to this CVC campaign this year are the Charlottesville Free Clinic and the Habitat for Humanity. I like to give to organizations that matter to me and the Women's Free Clinic is one of those things that the Women's Free Clinic is one of those things that matters. Two notable ones, obviously local food  banks because it's critically important that people have the necessary food and support that they need. And then second I'm very involved in the affordable housing initiative here at UVA and as such I support Habitat for Humanity.

I'm part of Alpha Delta Pi, so our philanthropy that we love to support is the Ronald McDonald House. One of the organizations that I like to support is the Haven. I like to give to the Blue Ridge Food Bank and their other associated food banks in this area as well. So, this year I'm excited, we are now working actively with our student body. They actually do an enormous amount of  philanthropic activity that will count. You have plenty of student organizations who are already doing this incredible work, but they're not receiving any type of credit or recognition. It's really exciting that we now get to be part of the CVC as students of the University. We can do our own individual donations or we can also count all the contributions we're already making. With President Jim Bryant's 2030 plan we are just trying to expand the public service footprint across the university. Even if you can 
only afford to give a dollar, give the dollar. It's a matter of participation, you want to be a part of something bigger than you, we all do. If I participate, I know I will have an impact, because collectively we will be able to change  the community at large. For UVA to be successful,you know, making sure that our community  is connected and thriving is essential. I think it's important for the university to be a good neighbor to the Charlottesville community. For me, it's just a way of showing we care.