NAU unites for United Way

"Together We Matter," this year's theme for NAU's United Way fundraising effort, also is an apt description for the people running the campus campaign.

Lou Arminio and Albert Sandoval from Information Technology Services are co-chairs of the President's NAU United Way Council. Not only are they experienced in raising money for the non-profit's annual fund drive, each has had a taste of how United Way's participating agencies can help a family get through the rough times.

"A family tragedy woke me up to the needs people have and the way the funded United Way agencies help in significant ways," said Arminio, a systems programming and support team leader. "My father had cancer and was dying, and during the last months of his life he needed much more care than my family could provide for him. We needed help coping as well."

Arminio said a hospice organization assisted his father and helped the entire family cope.

"I was overwhelmed with gratitude and wanted to give back for the help my family received," he said. "It didn't take me long to recognize it was easy to do this through the United Way campaign. Once I started giving, I discovered there were lots of agencies under the United Way umbrella that are helping people all over northern Arizona."

Known for baking cookies to get people's "giving" attention, Arminio has served on United Way's allocation committee and assisted with the NAU campaign in 1999. He also served as a United Way departmental representative for ITS. When Sandoval took over the representative role seven years ago, Arminio continued to bake cookies and stay involved.

Sandoval also has a personal stake in United Way fundraising.

"This allows me to help people," said Sandoval, a cancer survivor. "NAU feels more like a family to me than a university, and I want to make sure people have the help they might need when they need it, because you never know when things might happen."

Sandoval said that working as co-chair also allows him to assist the many NAU students he knows who work as mentors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Northern Arizona, a United Way agency.

Sandoval and Arminio hope to create a fun and successful campaign by using prizes and parties to lure participation. NAU's goal is to raise $100,000 for United Way this year.

"Our main goal is to create a positive attitude about providing community support," Arminio said. "We have a great committee of NAU employees on board to help us."