Local nonprofit charities are celebrating the University for donating more than $435,000 to their causes this year.

On Aug. 5, several local nonprofits awarded the University with the Georgia Shares MVP Award for being this year’s leading contributor in charitable donations.

“There is so much involved in leading an organization, and we wanted to honor the University of Georgia for setting an outstanding tone of philanthropy,” said Christian Orobello, president of Georgia Shares.

Georgia Shares is a locally controlled and operated nonprofit organization that offers payroll deduction plans whereby employees can contribute to their community and local charities.

The organization is made up of about 38 member agencies. Employees can select which agencies they want to benefit with their donations.

Employers write one check to Georgia Shares at the end of each quarter, and the organization then handles the distributions of funds to the agencies employees wish to donate to.

The money donated to Georgia Shares from the University came solely from faculty and staff who donated various amounts, either through single donations or payroll pledges, Orobello said.

About 23 percent of faculty and staff participated in the campaign.

When employees registered to donate, they were able to choose which nonprofit charities they wanted their donations to funnel towards.

Athens area nonprofit charities include organizations such as Athens Area Habitat for Humanity, Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Athens Land Trust, Georgia 4-H Foundation and Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund.

Each year, the University sets a goal of how much it intends to raise for charity. The goal in 2008 was $425,000 – meaning the University exceeded its hopes.

According to Matthew Winston, the University’s assistant to the president, the goal does not reflect any budget cuts or hard times, as the goal has stayed the same for the past few years.

“We haven’t lowered the goal, and most years we’ve met it,” Winston said, “It’s a very strong sign of what we’re able to do.”

Sue Lawrence, executive director of Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund, said in a news release, “We want to recognize the exceptional generosity of UGA employees, and also to express thanks for all the UGA campaign captains for their work – kudos!”

Georgia Shares, one of several charity foundations supported by the University, has not presented this award in years prior, but felt the need to specifically recognize the University for its generosity this year.

In the State Charitable Contributions Campaign, the University won the Governor’s Cup for their division by raising the $435,000.

The University has led their division and won the Governor’s Cup for about the past decade – this year ranking above The Department of Human Resources.

Kathy Pharr, assistant vice president for Finance and Administration, said the University is pleased to have been able to raise such a large amount of charity donations considering the economic situation.

“We are very honored that Georgia Shares recognized us with this award, one of many organizations that our charitable contributions assist,” Pharr said.

“Most contributions stay in the local community, and we are very pleased our donations assist those in need.”