Following are kind words from a few of our Doing Good in the Neighborhood donors, who reflect on why they give back. Many thanks to these and all of our donors!

Keith Feather, Patient Resource Manager, Patient Resource Management Organization

“As a Durham native who has been at Duke for the past 18 years, I’m grateful to have this very convenient and easy way to contribute and give something back to my community.  I know the money is well-spent, and that it makes a real difference in people’s lives.”

Sarah Marvin, Clinical Data Specialist, Duke Clinical Research Institute

“Opportunities for compassion are all around us. This one is special because it is also an opportunity to join with our co-workers in showing compassion.”

Eve Marion, Administrative & Graduate Coordinator, Nicholas School of the Environment

“I feel so strongly about supporting Doing Good in the Neighborhood. As a Duke employee and longtime resident of Durham, all of the initiatives resonate with me and my family. We’re proud to have the opportunity to help sustain such a wide variety of valuable programs. I know without a doubt, that my donation is making a positive impact on our community.”

Lila Edwards, Emergency Communications Officer, Duke University Police Department

“I donate because I appreciate the blessings I have in my own life. In these tough times of the economy you can still give and help make a difference. If I just give $8.50 a pay period, it actually comes to a little over $200 a year! When it is taken out a little at a time it is not painful but it sure can help make a difference for those who are not as fortunate. It is always good to try and be a blessing to others.”

Dana McDonald, Associate Director of Solutions Optimization Center, Duke Clinical Research Institute

“I would just like to thank all those involved with Doing Good in the Neighborhood for all of the great work that you do and for making it so easy for me, as a Duke employee, to give back to the Durham community.   As a Duke alum, Duke employee, and former Durham resident, I love that Doing Good in the Neighborhood allows me to support such a diverse and vibrant community in a way that promotes a strong alliance between the Durham community and Duke.”

Tamara Kissane, Learning Experiences and Constituency Development Coordinator, Duke Divinity School

“It makes me feel good to be supportive of our community. I live in Durham. I love Durham. This is one small way for me to show my connection to the community.”

Corinne Krupp, Associate Professor of the Practice, Sanford School of Public Policy

“I’m happy to be a regular donor to Doing Good in the Neighborhood, supporting Duke’s connections to the local Durham community.  My parents always stressed that “to whom much is given, much is expected in return,” and this is one way I can honor that.”

Many thanks to the 1,022 Duke University and Duke University Health System employees who donated through the 2011-12 Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign! These gifts will mean so much to the local schools, neighborhoods and non-profit organizations supported by the campaign.

Through Doing Good in the Neighborhood, Duke employees make a difference in Durham and the region through community-based philanthropy. These are just a few of the ways our gifts will make a difference in 2012:

• For every $5 donated, a victim of domestic violence at the Durham Crisis Response Center can attend therapeutic yoga classes.
• For every $10 donated, one local Latino family can receive a week’s worth of adult literacy and parenting classes through the Durham Literacy Center.
• For every $15 donated, teenagers in the West End neighborhood can complete one hour of productive summer employment through the Interfaith Food Shuttle community garden.
• For every $20 donated, the Genesis Home shelter can buy groceries for a nutrition and cooking class for all 16 resident families.

Visit us online throughout the year to learn more about how these gifts are making a difference in Durham. And again, many thanks to all of our generous donors!

Many thanks to the following businesses for their generous donations!

• 604 West Morgan
• Bull City Burger and Brewery
• Chick-Fil-A
• Pop’s, a Durham Trattoria
• Tyler’s Restaurant & Taproom
• Walmart
• Watts Grocery

Please explore this site to see how your gift will make a difference in Durham and the region!

For those employees who have yet to give, or haven’t renewed your gift from last year, please take a moment now to give online! As a bonus, all donors who give (or renew their gift) THIS WEEK are entered into drawings for a variety of prizes donated by generous local businesses.

Follow the “Make a Donation” link now to give!

Congratulations to Philip Rupprecht of the music department for winning last week’s prize of a dinner for two at 604 West Morgan! Rupprecht is an ongoing donor in support of Doing Good in the Neighborhood.

We will raffle off at least one prize per week during this fall’s campaign — check this site every week for the latest prizes, and donate to enter the drawings.

Many thanks to Tyler’s Restaurant & Taproom for the generous donation!

Every year, a team of Duke employees reviews applications from area non-profits for grants from the campaign’s Community Care Fund. The Community Care Fund, which is made possible by the support of Duke employees who donate to that category of the Doing Good in the Neighborhood campaign, provides grants for projects that will serve a significant and demonstrated community need.

For the first time this grant cycle, we asked Duke employees who are Doing Good in the Neighborhood donors and who volunteer with an area non-profit to nominate that non-profit for a Community Care Fund grant. Those organizations are marked with an asterisk in the list below.

As employee contributions to the Community Care Fund grow, so does the reach and impact of this grant program! We extend our thanks to the hundreds of Duke employees whose gifts made this round of grants possible.

The organizations listed below received grants ranging from $2,000 to $4,000, for the projects listed. Please visit the Community Care Fund section of this site to learn more about each funded project.

1. Accion Emprendadora USA: Hispanic Micro Business Training and Coaching
2. Achievement Academy: Opt In Program
3. Bridges Pointe Foundation: Sickle Cell Patient Care
4. Citizen Schools: STEM Apprenticeships
5. Clean Energy Durham: Energy Organizing Program
6. Communities in Schools of Durham: Graduation Coaches
7. Cornucopia Cancer Support Center: Compassionate Touch Program
8. Crayons2Calculators: Monthly School Supply Giveaways
9. Durham County Cooperative Extension: Project BUILD
10. Durham Crisis Response Center: YOGA for Youth
11. Durham Economic Resource Center: Latino Community Outreach
12. Durham Literacy Center: Escuela de la Familia
13. Durham TRY: Living in Future Tense
14. Durham’s Partnership for Children: Universal Pre-K Application Project
15. East Durham Children’s Initiative: Backpack Buddies
16. Freedom House Recovery Center: Building People — A Life Skills Education Program
17. Genesis Home: High Five Program
18. Girls Rock NC: Wake County Girls Rock Too! *
19. Innovation4Motivation: Intersession Programming for Chewning Youth
20. Inter-Faith Food Shuttle: West End Community Garden
21. KidZNotes: Expansion to a New School
22. Ligo Dojo of Budo Karate: Young Warriors Program
23. Museum of Life and Science: Ignite Learning Family Memberships *
24. New Horizons Academy of Reality Ministries: Computer Classes
25. Piedmont Wildlife Center: Earth Keepers After-School Program *
26. Project Compassion: Circles of Care *
27. Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham: Reconciliation and Reentry Program *
28. Salvation Army Boys & Girls Club: Families on the Field
29. Schoolhouse of Wonder: Outcomes-Based Evaluation System *
30. SWOOP: Volunteer Build for Church After-School Program *
31. The Scrap Exchange: Design Center and Tool Library *
32. TROSA: TROSA Grocery
33. Urban Ministries of Durham: Journey Forward Assistance Fund *
34. Voices Together: Little Voices

* Nominated by a Duke employee who volunteers with the organization and donates to Doing Good in the Neighborhood

Congratulations to Sarah Revels, Administrative Assistant in the Office of the Provost and a Doing Good in the Neighborhood donor, for winning last week’s prize of a gift card to Tobacco Road Sports Cafe!

We will raffle off at least one prize per week during this fall’s campaign — check this site every week for the latest prizes, and donate to enter the drawings.

Many thanks to Bull City Burger & Brewery for the generous donation!

Congratulations to Teresa Corliss, Senior Laboratory Administrator in the Biology department and Doing Good in the Neighborhood donor, for winning last week’s prize of a dinner for two to 604 West Morgan!

“I am pleased to support Doing Good in the Neighborhood because it contributes to local activities in Durham and is an excellent way for the Duke community to support Durham,” Corliss said.

We will raffle off at least one prize per week during this fall’s campaign — check this site every week for the latest prizes, and donate to enter the drawings.

Many thanks to Tobacco Road Sports Cafe for this week’s donation!

Congratulations to Harris Cooper, a psychology and neuroscience professor who donates to Doing Good in the Neighborhood through ongoing payroll deduction. Cooper won last week’s prize of a $25 BP gift card!

We will raffle off at least one prize per week during this fall’s campaign — check this site every week for the latest prizes, and donate to enter the drawings.

Many thanks to 604 West Morgan for this week’s donation!