Click to download the complete list of our 2014 Funded Partners.
Lives changed. The ability to deliver services that meet pressing community needs. Financial accountability. Use of best practices.
These are some of the indicators United Way of Union County volunteers used to determine how to best spend donor dollars in their recently completed five-month evaluation. 42 programs of 27 Partner Agencies will be the recipients of $594,594.05 in 2014, as approved by the Board of Trustees at its January meeting. In all, $713,924.25 of total community support has been earmarked for the coming year.
“I think ensuring that we spend donor dollars wisely is the most important task we have,” said Board Member Sherri Coleman. “We want to provide the most help where it will do the most good, and we do this by rating the type of services provided by each Partner Agency. Those agencies that provide basic needs like food and shelter are given higher priority over agencies that provide more social type services. Those are necessities for people and doing without them have the greatest impact on a person's life.”
Victims of domestic violence find safe shelter at Turning Point, one of our Funded Partners in the area of Emergency & Basic Needs. (http://turningpoint6.org/).
“It's where the rubber meets the road for United Way,” said Board Member David Drummond. “It's how we implement our mission of making people's lives better.”
Donor dollars to United Way will reach six area pantries, four senior centers, two shelters, an after-school youth center, a homeless prevention program, rent and utility assistance, disaster relief, prescription medication, hospice care, cancer support, youth activities, and more.
For the fifth straight year, The Salvation Army will be United Way’s top-funded Partner Agency. It will receive $132,000 to administer a trio of programs for residents facing the most critical of basic needs. These include two highly effective programs that prevent and address homelessness and the coordination of the local Food Pantry Network that encompasses its own pantry and those in Richwood, Plain City, and Milford Center.
Families can receive scholarships for children to take part in activities at the Union County Family YMCA, one of our Funded Partners in the area of Youth Services. (http://unioncountyymca.org/)
Maryhaven, which replaced Consolidated Care as Union County’s provider for mental health consumers this past summer, will continue to operate the North Star Center, an after-school youth center in Richwood, as well as additional activities that encourage positive, drug-free choices among area youth. It will receive $47,500.
$44,500 will go to the American Red Cross Union County Chapter. $32,000 of that will cover disaster response for wide-spread community emergency preparation and individual families who suffer a house fires and floods. The rest is earmarked for Red Cross’s service to local military families and bloodmobiles.
Memorial Hospital of Union County will receive $43,700. $38,500 will be used for Memorial Meals to provide delivery of fresh, healthy, prepared meals to shut-ins and those who congregate at three gathering sites in Union County. $5,200 is headed to Speech & Language Department for patients who cannot afford the cost of therapy.
Loving Care Hospice will receive $29,241.39 to provide its in-home health care to terminally ill patients for services not covered by insurance.
A complete line-by-line breakdown of United Way’s 2014 allocations, is available HERE.
Participants of an award-winning program for mental health recovery discover talents, strengthen abilities, and grow confidence at Wings Enrichment Center, one of our Funded Partners in the Health & Human Services Impact Area. (http://www.wingsenrichmentcenter.com/)
20 volunteers on the Community Investment Committee used a detailed evaluation process which combines annual face-to-face agency visits with financial and performance data. A site visit report for each agency is reviewed with the entire Committee and the level of funding is debated along areas of improvement for the agency. Consensus is reached before the final recommendation is made to the United Way Board. Using this process, volunteers\ determine the higher priorities for funding and insure that Partner Agencies are well managed.
“As is the case every year, we had more requests for support than we have funds available from donations and so deciding where to apply funding is always difficult,” Drummond said. “Sometimes the agencies working to support areas with the greatest needs struggle to demonstrate adequate management and oversight. Determining how to allocate support to these agencies is always a very difficult decision because in the end we are trying to improve the lives of as many people as we can.”
“The most disheartening aspect of the process was to learn that we still have many unmet needs in our communities,” said Scott Failor, a United Way Board Member and first-time CIC volunteer. “We are about $150,000 short in resources as compared to the identified needs. Every dollar does count and your friends and neighbors need your help – through financial assistance and as volunteers.”
Final results of United Way’s 2013 campaign will be announced in March, but are projecting to finish above $954,000. While that’s an all-time high for our community and a 3.2 percent increase over last year, it’s short of the $1 million goal. The shortfall of available dollars for allocation is compounded by continuing trends of governmental budget cuts, causing local agencies that rely on those dollars to request more from private sources, such as United Way, to meet their increased need.
Fun and fellowship greet those who join the Windsor & Community Seniors, one of four senior centers among our Funded Partners. (http://www.windsorseniors.org/)
“Many agencies saw a decrease in Federal Aid for their programs and they anticipate further cuts in the near future,” said Dave Gleeson, the Community Investment Committee Chair. “They’re looking for alternative sources of income just to maintain current levels of service, let alone the ability to grow or establish new initiatives. Therefore, the need for United Way support has never been greater and will be even more important in the coming years as local dollars will be needed to make up for lost funding elsewhere.”
United Way’s fundraising and administrative budget for 2014 is set at $186,775.58. An additional $41,614.80 has been allocated to “Pledge Loss” in anticipation that 4 percent of the money pledged by donors during the fall campaign will not actually be paid in 2014.
United Way works to bring neighbors and resources together to improve lives in Union County. United Way of Union County has raised more than $18 million for local needs since it was established in 1958. More than just a fundraiser, United Way collaborates with local businesses, government, and non-profit organizations to solve pressing social service issues large and small.
For more information, please visit www.unitedwayofunioncounty.org.
