Giving Blueday: Join the celebration and give for the future

It’s always a great day to be a Victor and Tuesday, Nov. 28 will be no exception as the organization comes together as one community for U-M’s annual day of giving. Giving Blueday 2017 presents a special opportunity in U-M’s bicentennial year to renew the university’s 200-year-old commitment to making a difference.

Giving Blueday gifts — big and small — have a powerful combined impact throughout U-M, including many areas at Michigan Medicine.

Last year, the U-M community crossed the $5 million mark, with donations from more than 7,300 donors supporting more than 4,000 areas at U-M. And the generosity from the Michigan Medicine community was no exception, with 1,408 individuals contributing nearly $1.4 million during the 2016 campaign.

“Making a gift on Giving Blueday sends an important message to our faculty, staff, patients and community that the work we do each day is vital,” said Eric Barritt, associate vice president and chief development officer for the Michigan Medicine Office of Development. “Gifts of all sizes together make a big impact on our ability to lead in patient care, research and education.”

Scheduled on Giving Tuesday — a global day of giving following Thanksgiving weekend — Giving Blueday is a 24-hour effort to make a collective impact on the future. Join your colleagues by renewing your commitment or contributing for the first time.

Margaret Punch, M.D., did just that when she made a donation to Michigan Medicine on Giving Blueday 2016.

Punch, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and associate medical information officer at Michigan Medicine, has a long history with U-M. She received her medical degree and also completed her residency at U-M prior to joining the faculty. Since then, she has committed her time and talent to caring for women of all ages and supporting women’s health care through her philanthropy, including contributions to the Global Women’s Health Fund.

“My husband and I have supported various funds at U-M over the years,” said Margaret. “As a faculty member in the ob/gyn department, I know firsthand the value of women’s health education and training.”

Margaret and her husband Jeff, the Jeremiah and Claire Turcotte Professor of Surgery in Transplantation Surgery at Michigan Medicine and also an alumnus of the U-M Medical School, usually make decisions about charitable giving toward the end of the calendar year. So it seemed the right time to make a gift to U-M on Giving Blueday. The couple chose the Global Women’s Health Fund in part to honor the many years of leadership and service of the former ob/gyn chairman Timothy Robert B. Johnson, M.D., when it was announced he was stepping down.

“There are many specific funds that are making a difference in and around U-M,” said Margaret. “Whether that’s helping endow a professorship for someone who made a difference in your own life, supporting scholarships for students in your field or from your hometown or with some other skills or interests, supporting a research area or student life group, there is always a way to target areas of your own passion with your financial support.”

“And even though there are those who can literally give hundreds of millions of dollars, the small donations from many donors can also have a big blue impact,” Margaret said.

To join Margaret and Jeff in giving for the future on Nov. 28, go to Leaders and Best or giveblue.org.