I am a recipient of the NU Cares award. It was such a blessing to receive this award because it was needed. My grandmother passed and it was extremely important to me for my children and I to attend her services out of state. I applied for NU Cares, the intake process was simple and the intake coordinator was very caring. I would not have been able to go without the NU Cares award. We got the opportunity to see family that we hadn’t saw in years and it was wonderful to celebrate my grandmother’s life without the strain of worrying about finances. The NU Cares award was right on time and I’m forever grateful.
I was struck by a car while I was crossing the street. It was a huge blow, not only physically and emotionally, but also financially. While health insurance did cover the bulk of my medical expenses, there have been countless other smaller costs that weren’t covered by insurance as I was going through the recovery and legal process. The NU Cares grant was able to help offset some of the expenses that I incurred as a result of that accident. I’m so incredibly grateful that this fund exists so that I could keep my head above water during an already stressful time.
Finances have been a burden for a few years now since graduating college. I struggled to find full time work in my field post-graduation, so I was working all sorts of jobs for a few years to stay afloat financially. I come from a low income family, so family support was minimum. As I was rebuilding my emergency fund, I had multiple car expenses hit me at the same time (over $1000 worth in a 3-month period and still expecting more expenses in the coming months) which is intimidating when your emergency fund is scarce. Those unexpected expenses depleted my emergency fund and I was still not meeting the expenses 100%. I knew about NU Cares. I had previously referred a coworker that was also going through financial hardships. I set my pride aside to apply for myself. NU Cares provided relief during my emergency and gave me hope that I was going to get through my financial hardships. NU Cares lifted a weight off my shoulders that allowed me to focus on rectifying my financial situation rather than stressing over it. So grateful for NU Cares!
I heard about NU Cares from a trusted colleague who knew that I was struggling to pay medical, veterinary, and professional cleaning bills after a fire occurred in my apartment. I have a hard time admitting that I need help and asking for it, so I was initially a bit hesitant to apply for this award. Much to my surprise, however, the application was straightforward, and it didn’t take long to hear back from the committee with an answer. Although I am still working to pay off the aforementioned bills, receiving help through NU Cares provided some relief. I am incredibly grateful that this support exists; it truly makes me feel valued – not only as an employee of Northwestern, but as a human being that lives in an imperfect world where accidents happen.
My dog became ill unexpectedly and couldn’t walk or eat properly for weeks. She lost a lot of weight very rapidly and was lethargic and not herself. An emergency vet told us to put her to sleep because I couldn’t afford the testing she wanted to do. The next day, I took her to a different vet, who was able to create a treatment plan for her. Though I was happy my dog was expected to get better, I was anxious and panicked about how I would pay my rent that month after spending almost $800 on vet bills. My direct supervisor urged me to apply for NU Cares. At first, I doubted they would consider vet bills to be an emergency and figured I would get denied, but ultimately applied because I didn’t know what else to do. The team was very kind and understanding in the whole application process. I was able to make my rent payment on time. It’s been almost a year since I was awarded and I’m happy to report that my dog is continuing to get back to her old self. She enjoys barking at squirrels, going for car rides, and getting pup-iccinos at Starbucks.
For faculty and staff, Northwestern is not just a workplace, it is a community. In times of crisis, a community offers support. NU Cares is a fund that allows faculty and staff an opportunity to help a colleague experiencing financial hardship due to a medical or catastrophic event. Faculty and staff may contribute to the NU Cares fund by payroll deduction or check, and all contributions are used to assist fellow employees. The Northwestern University Staff Advisory Council, Faculty Senate, and Human Resources established NU Cares in 2010. Colleagues in need may apply for up to $1,250 in NU Cares support.
