Area Students Raise $3,086.54 for United Way Youth Arts & Recreation Committee allocates to the City Pool and MJBSA For Immediate Release March 22, 2004

Thanks to the caring hearts of hundreds of area students, hundreds more will be able to participate in recreational activities this summer. Students at five area schools teamed up to raise $3,086.54 in the United Way of Union County’s 2004 Caring Hearts Project. Money raised through the loose change collection drive was earmarked for the Youth Arts & Recreation Grant Fund, which covers the individual fees for children who would be unable to afford to participate in youth activities. That money was part of the $7,001 allocated this month by the Youth Arts & Recreation Committee to the City of Marysville Pool and the Marysville Junior Baseball/Softball Association. United Way’s Dave Bezusko presents a pair of Creekview students with a plaque honoring their school for raising the most money during the project. In February, students at Creekview Intermediate, Edgewood, Fairbanks, Mill Valley, and Navin Elementary Schools heard presentations by United Way staff and volunteers about the importance of volunteerism, the work of all charitable organizations, and why it’s important to consider the needs of those less fortunate. Each student was given a United Way pencil as they learned in a very real way how one person can make a difference in a community, especially when those efforts are teamed with the efforts of others. Students were then encouraged (but not required) to collect loose change for the United Way. The classroom in each school to raise the most money won an ice cream party as a thank you for their efforts. Creekview raised the most of all five schools, bringing in $1,008.22. Students in Mrs. Dyar’s 4th grade class at Mill Valley raised more than any other classroom in the five-year history of the program, collecting $302.80, including 7,105 pennies! Hundreds of Union County children will receive financial assistance for their summer activities this year. $5,001 were awarded to the City of Marysville for 1,667 daily pool passes. This is a change from past years when the pool gave season passes for individual children to use all summer because too many of the passes were not being used to their full potential. This policy change will allow more families to take advantage of the program. Families requesting daily passes should contact their school guidance counselor or their social service provider. Passes will not be available at the pool. $2,000 went to the MJBSA to pay the registration fee for up to 20 children to play baseball or softball this summer. Families requesting this assistance should contact the MJBSA at 644-8945. The United Way of Union County has awarded more than $51,500 to area organizations through the Youth Arts & Recreation Grant Fund since the program was founded five years ago. More than $10,800 of that money has come from the Caring Hearts Project in area schools. For more information, please contact the United Way of Union County at 644-8381 or by e-mail at unitedwayuc2@imetweb.net.