Giving can mean winning

Luck made Penn employee Ilene Rosenstein last year’s grand prize winner for participating in the Penn’s Way 2002 campaign.

But to get lucky, she shared her personal luck with people in need, by filling out her Penn’s Way envelope.

And that’s all you’ll have to do—fill out your envelope—to be eligible for the weekly and grand prize drawings in the 2003 Penn’s Way campaign, which kicks off Nov. 6 and runs to Dec. 31, said the campaign’s deputy coordinator, Anthony Whittington, who is director of administration and finance in the Division of Public Safety. This year’s grand prize, like last year’s, is an Apple iBook.

Nearly a year after Rosenstein brought her iBook home, her family is still vying to use it. Her children, Matthew, 13, and Jenny, 9, use Macs at school, so they prefer the iBook to the family PC. “I have to fight for it,” said Rosenstein, director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), where students go to get help with emotional, academic or career concerns. “There’s four of us and all of us use computers, so it was very helpful.”

The chance to win wasn’t Rosenstein’s only motive for participating in Penn’s Way. “Here’s an opportunity for our [Penn] community to give back to the community,” she said. Plus, she likes how Penn’s Way is run. “You can pick things [charitable groups] that are important to you. It’s a very convenient way of giving.”

Even if you prefer another approach to giving, you can still participate, just by filling out your envelope, Whittington said. What you give—or don’t give—remains confidential. Your boss can’t see what’s inside.

To further preserve confidentiality if you opt for payroll deductions, the envelope requires only the last four digits of your social security number.

This year’s Penn’s Way goal is $435,000, an increase of $11,000 over last year’s successful campaign goal. This year’s campaign motto is “Now…More than ever.”

So share your luck with the whole community, and participate.

For this year’s prizes, look in the Almanac or go to www.upenn.edu/pennsway once the campaign begins.