In June of 2009, Lee Montaña’s father, Carl Joyner, fell from a ladder onto a fence post, sustaining life-threatening injuries.   

“They [the doctors] told us that he would never walk again,” said Montaña, an engineering operations manager in the Electronic Systems Laboratory at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). “And at one point, they told us it was probably time to say ‘goodbye’ to him.”

But with help from the Shepherd Center — a private, nonprofit hospital that specializes in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord and brain injuries — he was able to recover and develop the skills needed to live life using a wheelchair.

Last year’s $313,000 in contributions to Georgia Tech’s Charitable Campaign support nonprofits including the Shepherd Center, which is why Montaña was invited to share her father’s story at this year’s campaign kickoff breakfast. 

Montaña is just one of the many people at Tech who contribute to the campaign, whether by volunteering time or donating money. 

Celestine English, assistant director of payroll in the Office of Human Resources, has volunteered as a departmental coordinator for three years and donated to the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia for many years through the campaign. 

“I volunteer because I enjoy communicating with people about the easiest way to make donations to charities,” she said. “I donate to the Sickle Cell Foundation because I knew a friend of a friend whose child had sickle cell.” 

And then there are volunteers such as Annette Gaddis, program coordinator for the Cyber Technology and Information Security Lab at GTRI, who have worked with the campaign for more than 10 years. 

“I feel that volunteering is a way to give back to two great organizations [American Heart Association and National Kidney Foundation] that helped both of my parents, especially my mother,” she said.

Susan Jackson, assistant director of administrative operations in the School of Aerospace Engineering, contributes to the campaign because it’s an easy way to donate to a number of charities. 

“I donate to organizations that are of importance to my social beliefs and personal ideology, including Trees Atlanta, Georgia Organics and Feminist Women’s Health Center,” she added.  

Jacqueline Royster, dean of Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, enjoys supporting the community that she belongs to. 

“The charities that I choose are all related to education, children, health, hunger, justice and community development,” she said. “I choose to invest based on these fundamental passions and on how impressed I am with the dedication of the people who are working for these organizations. I feel honored to do my part in letting them know that the community cares.” 

This year’s campaign goal is $325,000. But don’t wait to receive the usual information in the mail, because this year all communications will primarily be through email, and information can be obtained on TechWorks. 

The deadline to contribute is Nov. 30.