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Campaign Progress Press Release-
Annual Dinner 2008
At United Way of McHenry County’s annual meeting
Tuesday, Campaign Chairman Sen. Pamela Althoff admitted that it had been a
difficult and challenging year.
“You do need to tell everybody that the United Way is healthy and good,” she
said to the audience at McHenry Country Club. “We want people to understand the
need is great. That’s when we need you the most. That’s when the community needs
you the most.”
As of noon Tuesday, about $1.2 million had been raised, about $600,000 short of
the $1.8 million goal set in September.
Only $333,697, or 41 percent, has been reached of the out-of-county goal, and
$880,836, or 90 percent, of the local goal has been raised.
Results from several large employers have yet to be received, and some campaigns
are just getting under way, so organizers hope to meet the goal before the books
are officially closed June 30, Althoff said.
The state of United Way is “just fine,” said Lisa Kelly, president of the board
of directors.
“Anyone who has a budget to balance, has a television or reads a newspaper knows
we are facing challenging economic times in this country,” Kelly said.
“Many of our traditional supporters have to make tough choices between their
personal and business financial obligations and how much they can spare for
others,” Kelly said.
Kelly said United Way was structured to do the greatest amount of good.
“So as your friends, families and co-workers ask you about how United Way is
doing, I hope you will confirm that it is doing fine and that their contribution
– no matter its size – is more important than ever,” she said.
Joan Holter, an executive assistant at TC Industries, was honored with the Paul
Schipp Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award. Holter has run the company campaign
for at least five years and increased the contribution by more than $13,600 this
year.
“At TC, we did this as a group in order to exceed our goal,” she said.
United Way supports 44 human-service programs through 23 agency partners.
However, two additional agencies, CASA of McHenry County and the Light Center
Foundation, will be eligible to apply for funding beginning July 1, after this
year’s campaign is over.
Campaign Progress Press Release-
November
United Way of McHenry County’s campaign is off to a
slow start this year, but organizers are working hard to get back on track.
“There has been an awful lot of other things pulling at the strings of the
companies and they have to react to those,” United Way Executive Director Dave
Barber said. “Business is business, and it comes first. Hopefully, philanthropy
comes after that.”
The local United Way has raised $138,8177 so far, about 7.7 percent of its goal
of $1.8 million.
The campaign kicked off in September and will continue to the end of the year,
raising money to help support 44 human-service programs through 23 agency
partners serving people in the county.
Even if companies or organizations are unable to have their own campaign, Barber
encouraged them to make any size contribution – even if it is only $25 or $50.
Individual contributions add up, too, Barber said.
“If everybody who lives in the county and works gave $1 a week, we could raise
over $7 million a year,” he said.
At chemical maker Rohm and Haas in Ringwood, 73 percent of its employees
contributed to the campaign, well over the average of 19 percent, Barber said.
“We would really be on our way to solving a lot of problems if everybody was at
that participation rate,” Barber said. “That would be huge.”
Because of Rohm and Haas’ two-week campaign, almost $20,000 was raised for
United Way agencies. About $12,000 was pledged through contributions from
payroll deductions; the remaining $8,000 will be from a corporate contribution,
Barber said.
Lynn Bauer, who works in human resources and served on the company’s campaign
committee, said Rohm and Haas has a culture of giving back to the community and
has contributed to United Way for 20 years.
“Our company is very community-oriented,” she said. “It’s kind of a natural
thing to do a reach-out.”
Campaign Progress Press
Release-December
Baxter & Woodman has a streak going when it comes to
contributing to United Way of McHenry County.
For the fourth year in a row, the engineering-consulting firm has topped itself
in donating the largest gift in the local United Way’s history.
This year, 135 employees contributed a total of $36,372 – an average of $270 a
person. The company does a dollar-for-dollar match to its employee
contributions, bringing Baxter & Woodman’s total contribution for 2007 to
$72,745.
“Our company and our employees are extremely generous, and many have made this
their No. 1 place to donate,” said Bev Thomas, the company’s employee campaign
chairwoman who also serves as a co-chairwoman of the Crystal Lake division of
United Way.
“They have confidence in the United Way allocation process that the money is
going to the people and agencies that are the most deserving.”
Many of the people at Baxter & Woodman also live in the community. As such, many
have had a friend or family member use a United Way agency’s services.
“Our employees are extremely compassionate and they know that a crisis for
someone they love could be just a day away,” Thomas said.
Through Thursday, a total of $480,496 had been raised for the 44 human-service
programs and 23 agency partners that United Way helps support. That’s about 26.7
percent of this year’s $1.8 million goal.
“I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll make our goal,” United Way Executive
Director Dave Barber said. “We need every penny we can get, even if it’s a small
donation.”
Campaign Progress Press Release-
Kick Off September 2007
The United Way of McHenry County has begun its annual
fundraising campaign with a modest goal of $1.8 million.
The goal is the same amount as last year. The United Way helps fund 44
human-service programs through 23 agencies. If the United Way fails to meet its
goal, that failure is felt throughout McHenry County by nonprofit groups who
provide a variety of services.
Chances are that most people in McHenry County have been touched in some way by
an organization that receives United Way funding. Among the groups are Senior
Services Associates, Woodstock Christian Life Services, Pioneer Center for Human
Services, Home of the Sparrow, Turning Point, Family Service and Community
Mental Health Center. The list goes on and on. For a complete list, visit the
United Way of McHenry County’s Web site www.uwmchenry.org/
In recent years, the United Way has seen donations level off. In 2004, the
fundraising goal was $2.025 million. That figure was not reached and subsequent
goals have been scaled back. In 2005 the goal was $1.88 million and was not met.
In 2006 the goal dropped to $1.8 million and was surpassed by about $50,000.
United Way Executive Director Dave Barber said one of his agency’s focuses this
year is getting money that was donated by McHenry County residents who worked
outside the county back to McHenry County. If residents do not designate the
money for McHenry County, the money can end up going to the county in which the
person works. The result was that the United Way, and by extension the
organizations it funds, have had to get by with less money even though McHenry
County’s population is rising.
The United Way did reach its goal last year, but the bar had been lowered. It’s
time for McHenry County to reverse that trend. It is time for the county to
begin raising the bar. If you want to volunteer time or donate money, the United
Way can be reached at 815-363-1377.
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