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United Way Raises $3.34 Million for Human Service Programs (Mar 01, 2008)

Delaware County donors responded enthusiastically during the 2007 United Way of Delaware County fundraising campaign, helping the local United Way exceed its campaign goal of $3.25 million by 2.7 percent. United Way campaign leadership announced a total of $3,338,764 after finalizing campaign totals recently, as numbers were tallied from workplace campaigns that extended into the new year. The amount is approximately $241,000 more than monies collected last year.

Monies are used locally for programs and services in Delaware County. The contributions will be distributed to local human service programs with the oversight of trained community volunteers who monitor the results of those programs.

An allocations process overseen by Community Investment Teams is under way to select the programs and agencies who best address five Impact Areas of greatest need. Funding announcements for Fiscal Year 2008 will be made in May, with funding beginning in July.

The five “Impact Areas” are:

• improving the lives of children and youth
• enriching the lives of senior citizens
• promoting sound physical and behavioral health and wellness
• supporting affordable housing
• sustaining basic needs and core services, including emergency assistance and information/referral services

The campaign was launched Sept. 6 at a kickoff breakfast featuring Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach Ken Hitchcock. As part of the annual kickoff events, local volunteers rallied together on Sept. 13 at Community Care Day, a day-long service event.

Five local firms helped to “jump start” the campaign as Pacesetter companies by staging early, exemplary workplace fundraising campaigns, making generous corporate contributions to supplement employee pledges, and supporting Community Care Day. They included American Family Insurance, The Delaware County Bank & Trust Co., Floyd Browne Group, Oberfield’s and WhittmanHart.

Contributions were collected through employee pledges and corporate gifts at local companies, with the leadership of volunteers from the business community and public sector. Residents and retirees also have the opportunity to contribute through direct mail mailings and on United Way’s Web site, www.liveuniteddelaware.org.

Mark Bergstedt, associate vice president of human resources for Nationwide, chaired the 2007 campaign, heading a campaign cabinet of business leaders from large and small companies, county and city government, professional services, education, residents and retirees.

"We’re grateful that Delaware County businesses, residents and retirees helped United Way focus on ‘what matters’ most in our local community,” Bergstedt said. “Especially important to our campaign were the contributions of those who live in Delaware County but work outside the county. By remembering to ‘designate’ their gifts back to their home county, they helped to improve the quality of life in our county."

United Way of Delaware County’s funding partners for Fiscal Year 2007 include: Action for Children; The American Red Cross; The Arthritis Foundation; Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Central Ohio; Boy Scouts of America, Simon Kenton Council; Central Ohio Mental Health Center; Community Action Organization of Delaware, Madison & Union Counties; the Council for Older Adults – Home-Delivered Meals Program; Delaware Speech and Hearing Center; Friends of Delaware County Court Appointed Special Advocates; Girl Scouts, Seal of Ohio Council; Goodwill Industries; HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow Counties; Heritage Day Health Center; Liberty Community Center; The Legal Aid Society; Marion Shelter Board; People in Need; Recovery & Prevention Resources of Delaware and Morrow Counties; Salvation Army Transitional Housing Program; Senior Services for Independent Living; and Turning Point.