UW Health and the University of Wisconsin–Madison will have some much-needed assistance in facing critical needs thanks to the generosity of donors on #GivingTuesdayNow. In response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19, donors contributed more than $212,000 across four funds: the UW Health COVID-19 Response Fund, the Emergency Student Support Fund, the Chancellor’s Annual Fund, and the UW–Madison COVID-19 Research Fund.
The UW Health COVID-19 Response Fund will be used to help patients and caregivers impacted by COVID-19. This includes providing food delivered right to COVID-19 frontline staff and an emergency daycare option for essential workers, so they can care for patients. The fund will also be used to expand coronavirus testing capacity. On #GivingTuesdayNow, more than 231 gifts were received to this fund, totaling nearly $29,000.
“The donations from the community have been overwhelming,” said Alan Kaplan, MD, CEO of UW Health. “UW Health is so grateful for the support our staff has received during this incredibly challenging time.”
Fundraising was underway for this fund prior to #GivingTuesdayNow and will continue in the weeks to come. The Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation is doubling the impact of donations by matching up to $250,000.
“UW Health’s goal is to provide remarkable health care, and having the community support helps make that possible,” said Kaplan.
#GivingTuesdayNow also generated needed support for three critical areas at UW–Madison:
- The Emergency Student Support Fund supports undergraduate and graduate students experiencing emergency situations arising from the COVID-19 crisis. Examples of fund use include emergency travel expenses, funding for those who are no longer able to work because of closures and other issues, and housing and moving costs. Derek Kindle, vice provost of enrollment management and the acting director of student financial aid at UW–Madison, says the university has already processed more than 5,000 emergency student aid requests. The average request is $1,200 per student. Kindle anticipates many students will have emergency needs through this summer and into the fall. “There are students who still can’t return home for a number of reasons,” said Kindle. “Work has not returned to the level that our students are used to for their income. We’ll try our best with the support of our Badger Family to meet those needs.”
- The Chancellor’s Annual Fund is helping to address emerging needs on campus. The impact of gifts to this fund will also be doubled, thanks to a $100,000 matching gift from the Elizabeth Quadracci Harned family.
- The UW–Madison COVID-19 Research Fund is helping advance a broad range of research related to the virus in order to discover promising ways to prevent, detect, and treat the disease. “It’s been inspiring to see how our world-class researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have hit the ground running and are on the forefront of fighting COVID-19 by studying the virus from different angles and disciplines,” said Steve Ackerman, UW–Madison vice chancellor for research and graduate education. “We are committed to the pursuit of excellence in research. What we are doing at UW–Madison today to help combat COVID-19 is the epitome of the Wisconsin Idea. Together, we are Badger strong.”
Although #GivingTuesdayNow has ended, the need continues. Donations are still being accepted. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and will have a major impact.
