NEWS RELEASE, 11/05/97

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BERKELEY-- This year a small group of UC Berkeley students initiated a campaign that will change the way Cal thinks about charity.

For many years, the campus has run a charitable campaign which focused on raising money through faculty and staff donations for United Way and other charitable organizations. This year, a student component has been added which emphasizes volunteering for charitable organizations rather than donating money -- something that most students lack.

This year's campaign will begin with a noon rally on Lower Sproul Plaza on Friday, Nov. 7, and conclude on Nov. 14. In addition, a table will be set up at Sather Gate from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. each day during the week of Nov. 10, manned by members of the Student Charitable Campaign Committee, Helping Hands, Canterbury at Cal, the Episcopal Student Ministry, The Interfraternity Council and College Panhellenic Association, and Cal Libertarians.

The Student Charitable Campaign was created with several goals in mind:

• to highlight the volunteer work that Cal students are already doing in the community.
  
  
• to provide both long- and short-term volunteer opportunities for students who aren't already volunteering.
  
  
• to raise money for The United Way and Berkeley Pledge through a drive to collect spare change.
  
  
• to get a variety of student groups involved by giving them an opportunity to "adopt a day" of tabling at Sather Gate for the charitable campaign. The individual groups can promote their own charitable causes on the day they table.

To these ends, student organizers have adopted the slogans: "Give Change to Make Change;" and "Give an Hour, Show that Cal has the Power...To Make a Difference."

This is the first year of a campaign that is intended to continue and grow annually, with a goal of increased student group participation which includes both tabling and providing new volunteer opportunities.

In future years, organizers would like to see the Student Charitable Campaign help increase Cal student involvement in the many student-run service projects that already exist on the campus.