United Way near $1.18 million goal
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on December 7, 2015 1:46 PM
With less than a month to go, the 2015 United Way campaign still has 10 percent of its goal of $1.18 million to raise.
Since the campaign began in early August with the Frontrunners campaign -- companies that hold their employee campaigns before the actual campaign starts -- United Way has raised 90 percent of its goal.
"We have investments to improve 21,384 lives," said United Way's community engagement manager Catherine Lechot. "Our goal is to be able to improve 23,600 lives.
"We're at a little more than $1 million right now."
If United Way reaches $1.18 million, it would be the second year in a row that the campaign has met its goal.
Before that, United Way fell short of its goal for eight years.
"But it was always somewhere in 90 percent of reaching the goal," Mrs. Lechot pointed out.
"I think we're about similar to where we were last year, but we still have a lot of investments out that we haven't heard back from people, like corporate gifts. We're hoping that we do hear back from them because we are so close to reaching our goal to make it a second year in a row we hit our goal."
Mrs. Lechot said this year United Way ran the campaign a little differently by highlighting a lot of investors and program participants, linking them up throughout Wayne County and featuring them in brochures. And United Way made sure it featured investors and program participants from all ends of the county, including Mount Olive, Dudley, Pikeville and Fremont.
"We are helping your family, friends and neighbors," she said of the campaign.
Mrs. Lechot said several employee campaigns raised more this year than in previous years, and that helped boost the campaign total.
"Wayne Memorial Hospital went up about 4 percent," she said. "Cooper Standard exceeded its goal this year. It's always great when you can maintain, but it's even better when you can improve over last year."
United Way supports 12 community partners and 22 local programs.
"They are counting on us for support," she said. "There's such a wide range of programs that United Way helps support that we don't want to not be able to have the maximum impact in Wayne County."
The 12 community partners are the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, Communities in Schools, Girl Scouts, Literacy Connections, Partnership for Children, Salvation Army, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, WAGES, WATCH and Wayne Uplift.
"It covers in infants through the elderly, who are receiving Meals on Wheels and everything in between," Mrs. Lechot said. "It covers the crises that happen in the family through the Red Cross, the men at the Salvation Army shelter and emergency assistance that Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides.
"With it being the holidays, I think more people are aware of the needs that are present in the community. United Way is actively trying to support organizations that are meeting people's needs, whether during the holidays or throughout the entire year."
United Way plans on wrapping up its campaign by Dec. 31.
"We would love to be able to impact 23,600 lives, and we are going to need those investments to make that happen," Mrs. Lechot said.
"When you make your one investment in United Way, it's actually benefiting 12 organizations that are within our community helping local residents. You're not having to write separate checks to each organization. Giving to United Way has the greatest impact because it's helping community partners."