RELEASE ON RECEIPT

PARENTS PLEDGE MORE THAN VERBAL SUPPORT
FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES PROGRAMS AT U.VA.

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. Oct. 24 -- The Parents Program at the University 
of Virginia has raised close to $8 million in contributions since it started 
in 1980, making it a model for other institutions of higher education eager 
to learn the secret of its success.
	While the financial contributions of parents of undergraduate students 
at U.Va. are no match for Ted Turner's $1 billion gift to the United Nations, 
their dedication and commitment to giving qualify them to give the media 
titan a run for his money.  In fact, surveys show that 80 percent of all 
charitable giving in America comes from small donations from individuals, not 
corporations, foundations, or the super rich.
	The goal of the U.Va. program is to pick up where state funds fall 
short, and to that extent, the efforts of parents are going a long way.  This 
year was particularly bountiful.  Parents handed out $800,000 to supplement 
the budgets of student organizations and programs that otherwise would not 
have been spared the budget ax or might have languished due to a lack of funds.
	Parents start "buying" into the program once their children enroll at 
the University.  Their cycle of giving is supposed to end after four years, 
but some parents just keep on giving.  Since its inception, parents from 
across the United States have been doling out dollars to buttress or start 
new programs that have included the African-American Affairs Mentoring 
Program, Cultural Connectors, substance abuse prevention training, the 
Wellness Committee's Wellness Fair, and last year, the successful First-Year 
Resource Center.
	Proposals are reviewed and voted on by the 35-member parents review 
board every October.  This year $260,000 was allocated to fund new programs.  
The board is expected to rule on funding for 1998 later this month.  
	The parents' charitable acts have not gone unnoticed.  Program 
director Molly Bass says that U.Va. officials are constantly called on to 
explain how they have been able to sustain parental interest in the program, 
which now has the distinction of being one of the more successful programs of 
its kind among state institutions of higher learning.
	Says Bass: "Every week I get calls from colleges and universities 
from throughout the country wanting to find out more about our program.  What 
makes us unique is our focus on fund raising.  Some programs are academic in 
focus, others are social, but we are about fund-raising to support programs 
for our students."

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				 	                      October 23, 1997

	For more information, call Molly Bass at (804) 971-9721.  Television 
reporters should call our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.