Global day of giving and unity to raise funds
April 30, 2020 (Huntsville, Ala.) – HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by deploying new research projects to study the disease. A matching gift challenge for #GivingTuesdayNow will kick-start the campaign to raise funds for new research into COVID-19.
Longtime HudsonAlpha supporters Peg and Buzz Heeschen will match donations, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000 between now and May 5. The Heeschens issued the matching gift challenge in honor of #GivingTuesdayNow.
#GivingTuesdayNow is a new global day of giving and unity that will take place on May 5, 2020 – in addition to the regularly scheduled Dec. 1, 2020 #GivingTuesday – as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The day is designed to drive an influx of generosity, citizen engagement, business and philanthropy activation, and support for communities and nonprofits around the world.
Meeting the challenges posed by COVID-19 requires many hands working at an unprecedented level of collaboration. HudsonAlpha was founded on a model of collaboration and a commitment to scientific discovery. Working side-by-side with Associate Companies on our campus and other scientists around the world, HudsonAlpha is committed to finding solutions to this disease.
“We are all in this together and HudsonAlpha is working to do its part to combat COVID-19,” said Karen Petersen, director of annual and planned giving. “Thanks to the generosity of the Heeschens, HudsonAlpha’s Giving Tuesday Now campaign got a jump start, and all donations between now and May 5 up to $10,000 will be matched, doubling the impact. We are all part of this fight and we need your support to fuel the research to make it happen.”
People can show their generosity in a variety of ways during #GivingTuesdayNow, whether it’s helping a neighbor, advocating for an issue, sharing a skill, or giving to causes, every act of generosity counts. The global movement will emphasize opportunities to give back to communities and causes in safe ways that allow for social connection even while practicing physical distancing.
“As a global community, we can mourn this moment of extreme crisis while also finding the opportunity to support one another,” said Asha Curran, CEO of GivingTuesday. “We each have the power to make an impact with acts of generosity, no matter how small, and to ensure the sustainability of organizations and services that are crucial to the care and support of our communities.” #GivingTuesdayNow is a chance for us to stand united and use grassroots generosity to show that we are all in this together, beginning to end.”
Those interested in joining HudsonAlpha’s #GivingTuesdayNow efforts can visit hudsonalpha.org/covid19.
For more details about the GivingTuesday movement, visit the GivingTuesday website (www.givingtuesday.org), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GivingTuesday) or follow @GivingTuesday and #GivingTuesdayNow on Twitter.
About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to developing and applying scientific advances to health, agriculture, learning, and commercialization. Opened in 2008, HudsonAlpha’s vision is to leverage the synergy between discovery, education, medicine, and economic development in genomic sciences to improve the human condition around the globe. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. The state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education and includes more than 30 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit hudsonalpha.org.
About GivingTuesday: GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past eight years, it has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. Whether it’s making someone smile, helping a neighbor or stranger out, showing up for an issue or people we care about, or giving some of what we have to those who need our help, every act of generosity counts and everyone has something to give. GivingTuesday strives to build a world in which the catalytic power of generosity is at the heart of the society we build together, unlocking dignity, opportunity and equity around the globe. #GivingTuesdayNow is organized by GivingTuesday, in partnership with its global network of leaders, partners, communities and generous individuals. GivingTuesday is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world.
Media Contact:
Margetta Thomas
mthomas@hudsonalpha.org
256-937-8210
