Our 2019 United Way Campaign kicked off Thursday morning amidst fanfare and support from over 100 community leaders at the Hilliker YMCA. A $1 million goal has been established for the second consecutive year as volunteers in local workplaces work to accomplish the milestone again.
"The beautiful thing about the United Way campaign is that it's totally organized for us. All set up for success," said Alison Marker, President of Thomas & Marker Construction and 2019 Campaign Chair. "And you can open it up to your employees. They get to be a part of helping other people too. And that feels good to everybody in the organization. It's easy. United Way does the work to make sure our money goes to the right places, places that need it the most in our community."
Since 1955, more than $23 million has been raised through United way to support the specific social service needs of Logan County, including $1,038,555 last year. Campaign totals have increased seven straight years from 2012 to 2018. We fight for the education, health, and financial stability of every person in Logan County. 45 programs of 30 Funded Agencies are being supported in 2019 by United Way allocations from last year’s campaign. 14 additional grants have been awarded throughout the year so far to additional organizations through our Community Impact and Youth Allocations funds.
"These are programs that help your family, your friends, your kids' classmates," Marker said. "And when people have access to the right resources that they need, (food, shelter, healthcare, education), we all move forward together."
Leaders touted new and upcoming programming that is being brought to the community through United Way. The LIVE UNITED @ WORK Financial Wellness Program is an initiative available in nine area workplaces where a United Way social worker is available to meet one-on-one with employees about non-work related human service issues to be connected to services in the community. Women United is a new initiative coming to Logan County in 2020 to mobilize the power of women to help address issues such as mental health and workforce development. The group will be working to establish mentoring activities for girls, teens, young mothers, and professionals. Read, watch, and listen to more coverage from WPKO.
Read more coverage from the Bellefontaine Examiner.
91 cents of every dollar given goes directly to programming with nine percent going to fundraising and administrative costs, well above the Better Business Bureau standard of a 65-35 split. In fact, United Way is an accredited charity of the BBB, meeting all 20 Standards of Charitable Accountability established by the watchdog group.
"And that's why I'm a part of United Way and have been for many years," said Chad Wilkinson, United Way Board President. "It's a tremendous group to be a part of. That is what United Way is here for. We fund so many different agencies around the county."
More than 90 percent of United Way of Logan County's annual revenue comes from traditional workplace campaigns in which employees are given the opportunity to give via payroll deduction. Some employers match donor dollars.
Businesses that have already committed to offering payroll deduction to employees include: AGC Glass, American Solutions for Business, Bellefontaine City Schools, Belletech Corporation, Benjamin Logan Schools, Choice Properties Real Estate, Citizens Federal Savings & Loan, City of Bellefontaine, Civista Bank, Community Markets, Discovery Riders, Edward Jones Investments, Farm Credit Mid America, Green Hills Community, Hill & Hamilton, Honda of America, Honda Transmission Mfg., Humble Construction, Huntington National Bank, Indian Lake Local Schools, Kroger, Liberty National Bank, Logan County Government Offices, Logan County Chamber of Commerce, Logan County Electric Cooperative, Lutheran Community Services, Mary Rutan Hospital, Mental Health Drug & Alcohol Board of Logan and Champaign Counties, Midwest Regional Educational Service Center, NetGain Information Systems, NEX Transport, Inc., Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, PNC, PowerBuilt, Precision Custom Products, Quest Federal Credit Union, Richwood Banking Company, Riverside Local Schools, RTC Industries, Smith Smith Montgomery & Chamberlain, SpartanNash Company, Steve Austin's Auto Group, TCN, Thomas & Marker Construction, Thompson Dunlap & Heydinger, Transportation Research Center, Vectren Energy, V-Teck Communications, Walmart, West Liberty-Salem Schools, World Class Plastics, YMCA Hilliker and Camp Willson, and Zimmerman Realty.
If your workplace is not listed, please contact us at (937) 592-2886 to talk about getting a giving campaign started in your workplace.
