Wednesday, Sep. 09, 2009

United Way fundraising starts today

The United Way of the Midlands will launch its annual crusade of caring today when it officially kicks off the 2009-10 fundraising campaign.

Agency leaders have set a $10.2 million goal for this year’s campaign to help respond to many of the area’s human service needs.

“Our campaign is only successful when everyone works together to make it happen, said United Way president and CEO Mac Bennett.

Today’s kickoff at the South Carolina Archives and History Center on Parklane Road will recognize more than 55 local companies and organizations that have held early workplace campaigns, which to date have generated $2.9 million.

“We also take this opportunity to publicly recognize those people in our community who lead by example and agree to run their campaigns early, which creates a tremendous amount of momentum for the rest of the season,” Bennett said.

The kickoff is open to the public and will include filmed highlights from workplace campaigns, interviews with volunteers and photographs of special events.

Among those events is one of several days of action when area volunteers take on various service projects throughout the community.

The next Day of Action is set for Sept. 18, when nearly 20 area nonprofit organizations and 17 companies and organizations have formed volunteer teams.

“We know that collectively, volunteers can have a tremendous impact on the vitality of a community,” Bennett said.

Funds raised in this year’s United Way campaign will support some of the area’s most pressing needs as identified in the United Ways most recent Facing Facts Survey.

The survey lists poverty and the struggle to meet basic needs, access to affordable health care, education for the work force and transportation among the community’s top priorities for funding assistance. It represents a shift away from the funding of individual agencies to a greater focus on broader categories of community needs.

Individuals who wish to donate to this year’s campaign can give online at www.uway.org by clicking the “give” link.

Area businesses that would like to run a workplace campaign should contact Mike Gray, United Way of the Midlands vice president of resource development at (803) 733-5422 or at mgray@uway.org.

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