A Slice of Thanks

Department of Pediatrics raises nearly $30,000 for UNM Gives Campaign

Wearing Saggios T-shirts and hats, Paul B. Roth, MD, MS, Chancellor for Health Sciences, and University of New Mexico President Garnett S. Stokes presented the two departments that raised the most money for the 2018 UNM Gives Campaign with a pizza party on Friday afternoon.

The UNM faculty and staff raised more than $950,000 for the UNM Foundation and the United Way of Central New Mexico for the 2018 drive - $200,000 more than last year.

On the UNM Health Sciences Center campus, the Department of Pediatrics raised the most money, raising $29,474. The Main Campus winner was the College of Arts & Sciences administrative support , which raised $13,693.

The pizzas were donated by Saggios.

"I think it speaks to our staff and how important it is to give to United Way," said Loretta Cordova de Ortega, MD, chair of the Department of Pediatrics. "I think it fits within our culture here. Because we take care of children and families, and I think it's just an extension of that. We have a large number of staff and faculty here - but as an example, they do fundraisers for our children, do activities for our community here and our faculty who take care of kids.

"It really fits into that. When they were asked to step up to the plate and do this, they did."

Roth said he was extraordinarily proud of everyone's efforts in the campaign.

"Particularly given that everyone gives back to the people we serve in our community in what they do every single day," Roth said. "And to add to that both their effort and their pocketbook is so fabulous. The kinds of commitment and social and community benefit that all of our people give back to the city, the county and the state - this is the standard by which I would hope all of the university and other public employees in the whole state would measure themselves against."