University Advancement

Chesney Klubert ’14 has volunteered with Girls Rock Charlotte for five years and has watched the nonprofit grow from a summer camp for girls age 8-16 to a year-round experience that now reaches out to adult women.

Faculty and staff members can join colleagues for socializing and networking at a Faculty and Staff Social, which will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, May 7, at Bissell House.

Sponsored by Chancellor Philip L. Dubois, the social will feature light hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and soft drinks. RSVPs requested.

It has been a busy week of volunteering for Jerry Womack, a zone supervisor in UNC Charlotte’s Facilities Management Department.

During Holy Week, Womack said his church, Ebenezer Baptist, holds a mission blitz. He packed food at the Second Harvest Food Bank and prepared packages of medical supplies that included items such as non-prescription drugs and bandages for distribution to needy people as part of North Carolina MedAssist.

It was a busy week for UNC Charlotte employees who used their paid community service leave to volunteer across the campus and city of Charlotte during National Volunteer Week, April 8-12.

Employees packed 1,200 meal supplement backpacks, 1,500 pencil pack kits, 1,500 toiletry kits and made 2,500 sandwiches. University alumni helped sort clothing donations at Crisis Assistance Ministry.

Historically, graduating students have been welcomed into the nursing profession with a pinning, said Peggy MacKay, a lecturer in the UNC Charlotte School of Nursing. But faculty in the school wanted to do a little more for the graduates to formally usher them into the field.

The result was a White Coat Ceremony. Each semester, graduates receive a white coat to symbolize their embarking upon their careers as nurses. MacKay said faculty members write notes of encouragement to place in the pockets of each jacket.

Harris Teeter recently made a donation to the Jamil Niner Student Pantry. A gift of $10,000 in Harris Teeter gift cards and industrial shelving to update the pantry’s storage needs will assist the organization’s efforts to combat student food insecurity on UNC Charlotte’s campus.

For C.T. Lefler ’11, one of the best-selling points for UNC Charlotte’s Legacy Program is the draping ceremony for graduating students. During the ceremony, a family member who is also a UNC Charlotte graduate places a stole on the student and, in turn, the student pins the family member.

“It’s a real family event,” said Lefler, a third-generation alumnus who graduated with a mechanical engineering degree.

As an employee who regularly volunteers both on campus and in the greater community, Bronwyn Jarsocrak knew exactly which charities she wanted to assist during the upcoming National Volunteer Week, April 8-12.

It has been almost a year since Tim Rogers lost his daughter, Polly, in a bus accident in Charlotte. His many friends at UNC Charlotte, touched by the life that Polly Rogers lived, are helping Rogers honor his daughter by building a sensory garden within UNC Charlotte’s Botanical Gardens.

New York Times bestselling author Tayari Jones tackles the issue of wrongful incarceration in her latest book, “An American Marriage.” She will discuss her research for the book and her creative writing process during the 2019 TIAA Lecture, scheduled for 2 p.m., Wednesday, April 10, in the Cone University Center, McKnight Hall. (Note, this is a location change since the initial publication).