Chapel Hill couple pledge $2 million to UNC’s Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity
A Chapel Hill couple who have been involved with UNC’s Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity since its inception have pledged $2 million toward permanently endowing the operations and expenses of the center.
Michael Cucchiara and Marty Hayes and the School of Law view the pledge as the lead gift for an ongoing endowment campaign that will help solidify the UNC center as a nationally renowned, non-partisan academic center that examines ways to combat poverty, particularly as it relates to the working poor. The center is directed by former Sen. John Edwards.
“For too long, the issues facing the working poor have not received the attention they deserve,” Cucchiara said. “That is why we are proud to join Sen. Edwards, the leadership of UNC and the law school to ensure that there will alays be a permanent academic forum for the best minds in the state and the nation to address the issues of poverty, work and opportunity.”
According to Edwards, a 1977 graduate of the law school, “This wonderful example of generosity and philanthropy will allow the center to continue exploring the many facets of poverty and keep these important issues in the public eye for the decades to come. Because of this extraordinary gift, the center will continue to serve as a beacon to experts around the country and be a proud part of UNC’s longstanding tradition of academic excellence.”