Media Contacts: Alejandro Ferreyra
aferreyra@csun.edu or
Carmen Ramos Chandler
carmen.chandler@csun.edu
(818) 677-2130

The California State University, Northridge campus will come together on Dec. 2 to help the community during Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.

Students, faculty, staff and members of the community are welcome to give non-violent toys (no stuffed animals), canned food and clothing at the booths set up from noon to 5 p.m. in the west lobby of the Matadome and University Student Union. The American Red Cross will be collecting blood donations in the USU/Thousand Oaks Room from 10 a.m. until 3:15 p.m.

The groups involved in the Giving Tuesday event represent on- and off-campus organizations. These include Strength United, a CSUN-affiliated agency focused on ending abuse and violence through the collaboration of mental health professionals, educators, researchers, students and volunteers; and Unified We Serve, a volunteer program at CSUN that empowers students to further their education through serving the community. The San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission and American Red Cross also will be collecting donations. This is also the time of the year when CSUN employees are asked to support the United Way.

CSUN is also unveiling a text-to-give option for those unable to join the campus on Dec. 2. Students, alumni and friends of the university are encouraged to text “matador” to 41444 and donate to the school’s general fund.

“Events like Giving Tuesday are essential for organizations like Unified We Serve because our mission is to unify students, faculty, staff and community to harness the highest amount of resources to better serve the community,” said Ani Avetisyan, activities assistant for volunteer programs and services at the CSUN-based Matador Involvement Center. “What we give, we get purely through donations, so any time a large group of people like those at CSUN can come together to help is great.”

The Giving Tuesday movement began in 2012 at the 92nd Street Y in New York City, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. They used social media to heavily promote their cause, making #GivingTuesday recognizable on sites such as Twitter and Facebook. CSUN is promoting the day using a heavy social media presence centered around the hashtag #CSUNGives. Across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites, the university will make sure the hashtag gets a lot of exposure in the community’s timelines.

“Our students are a microcosm of society as a whole, in that they’re prolific users of social media,” said Jorge Martin, director of communications at CSUN. “What we’re aiming to do with Giving Tuesday is to use the vast reach of social media to engage our students, alumni and friends of the university to help those who are in great need. Whether it’s by donating food, clothing or blood, or making a financial contribution, we can make a difference during the holiday season for people who would not otherwise be able to enjoy this festive time of year.”

The university’s athletics department played a key role in putting together CSUN’s Giving Tuesday program. The department donated its student-athletes’ time and the location — the west lobby of the Matadome, home court of many Matador teams. For the department, the chance to help out was an obvious slam dunk.

“CSUN Athletics is excited to be a part of the Giving Tuesday program,” said Dawn Ellerbe, associate athletics director for marketing, branding and fan development. “Service tops the department’s core values, and we appreciate this opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches and staff to be part of the CSUN community’s role in giving back. Events like Giving Tuesday unite people all over campus to work together toward a common goal, building a sense of camaraderie, service and teamwork for all Matadors!”

Giving Tuesday