Students, faculty and staff are invited to donate money to charities for the UA Cares Campaign today in the South Ballroom of the Student Union Memorial Center.

UA Cares: A Campaign for Community Giving is an annual monthlong event that allows people to donate to money to both campus departments and local non-profit organizations.

"UA Cares is the university's annual charitable campaign where employees have the opportunity to give to UA services and programs...through Campaign Arizona and United Way," said Holly Altman, UA community relations outreach coordinator.

People can donate money to any UA program on campus, such as scholarship programs and museums through Campaign Arizona, a campus organization that raises money for UA related causes.

Through an agency fair, sponsored by United Way, people can also give to various local non-profit organizations, including the Tucson food bank, Volunteer Center, Planned Parenthood, among others, said Jaime P. Gutiérrez, assistant vice president of UA community relations.

"It has a component that addresses our internal community, which is the Campaign Arizona part, but it also has a component that addresses the community we live in, which is the United Way," Gutiérrez said.

UA Cares is the university's annual charitable campaign where employees have the opportunity to give to UA services and programs. – Holly Altman, UA community relations outreach coordinator

United Way and Campaign Arizona joined forces three years ago to create UA Cares.

UA Cares raised $437,872 for both campaigns last year and hope to raise even more this year, Altman said.

Between 1,200 and 1,300 members of the UA community gave money to more than 230 non-profit agencies last year, Gutiérrez said.

This year, coordinators from more than 250 departments on campus will help facilitate the first day of the campaign, Altman said.

Altman said people donate anywhere from $10 to thousands of dollars to various UA programs and organizations.

People interested in various issues such as homelessness, education and the environment can all find a charity to which they can donate, Altman said.

"There are many groups in Tucson that are doing really fantastic work," Altman said.

The UA Cares Campaign starts today at noon and lasts until 2 p.m. The Campaign will close on Friday, Dec. 3.

"I think the UA Cares campaign really does a nice of job trying to address the needs that unfortunately the legislature has not been able to address over the long run," Gutiérrez said.