Dear Friends of OCD,

It is not coincidental that this funding campaign formally came to an end during the Thanksgiving season. As I watched the generosity of others over these last few months, I felt so many emotions. I was humbled and honored, confident, and ever so thankful.

Let me explain. I was and am humbled and honored that the creators of this campaign thought to label such a worthy cause with my name, this work is the mission of the University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development (OCD). I am confident that students, who will benefit directly from these contributions, will carry on the important work of using science and research, through partnerships with community organizations, to improve policies and practices on behalf of children and their families, a legacy of OCD.

I am thankful for the hard work of so many people to see this campaign be successful. There were many offices at Pitt that worked together, behind the scenes, to promote this work including the University’s School of Education, Institutional Advancement, and of course, the Office of Child Development.

And finally, I can’t express my appreciation enough for the generosity of so many people who, by their contributions to this effort, gave a vote of confidence for the future of OCD and its mission. We heard from friends of the past who were connected to OCD decades ago, from families who attribute the success of their children to our work, from university administrators and faculty, from current and former staff and students, who learned from each other, and from so many others who are loyal supporters of this work!

I recognize, once again, how blessed I have been to be a part of something so meaningful. So it is with the deepest sense of gratitude, that I thank you all.

Warmest Regards,

Chris Groark

Greetings,

As we approach the final days of our EngagePitt campaign, we would like to give a special thank you to those who helped set the foundation for the Christina J. Groark Community Engagement Fund over the summer. Because these donations were made before the start of the EngagePitt campaign, the following donors are not listed on the EngagePitt “Donor Wall”:

Joan Eichner--$25.00

Karen and Steven Feinstein--Undisclosed Amount

Jean Ferketish--Undisclosed Amount

Kimberly Goldstein--$20.00

Brian Groark--$1,000.00

Jolie McCarthy--$1,000.00

Miriam Messick --$100.00

Laurie and Ed Mulvey--Undisclosed Amount

Marge Petruska--Undisclosed Amount

Emie Tittnich--Undisclosed Amount

Trying Together--Undisclosed Amount

In addition, we would also like to thank the donors who have contributed to the Fund through the EngagePitt page. These folks can be found on the “Donor Wall.” Please continue to share information about the Fund and help us reach our new goal of $12,000 before November 15!

We are so incredibly thankful for your generosity in supporting the Dr. Christina J. Groark Community Engagement Fund. Thanks to you, we have surpassed our initial goal of $8,000 within the first month of the campaign! While this is tremendous news, it comes as no surprise given Chris’s far-reaching impact. With a month left in our campaign, we have raised our goal to $12,000. The more money we raise for the Fund, the more money we will be able to award University of Pittsburgh students for years to come. Please continue to share the campaign to help us reach our new goal!

And, once again, THANK YOU and cheers to Chris!!

Greetings,

We are off to a fantastic start thanks to the generosity of friends, family, and colleagues of Chris. On behalf of Chris and the Office of Child Development we want to share our sincerest THANK YOU! With over 40 days left in the campaign we still have plenty of time to raise money and (dare we say we) surpass our goal of $8,000. We have some exciting campaign emails and social media posts planned so please continue to share the Fund with others to help us reach our goal!

Once again THANK YOU and cheers to Chris!