United Way kicks off campaign with 'Day of Caring'
NORWICH – One hundred and seventy people came together Saturday morning to contribute to the well-being of several local communities – even ones they don’t live in.
The Chenango United Way’s 3rd Annual “Day of Caring” matched area volunteers, many representing local businesses, organizations and schools, to 30 projects across Chenango County. For four hours volunteers scraped, painted and landscaped the different sites, which included museums, churches and parks.
“It was kind of neat to be assigned to a community that I’m not necessarily a part of,” said Anne English, Norwich, who spent four hours sprucing up Cook Park in Greene.
The event officially kicked off Chenango United Way’s 2009 funding campaign.
“The Day of Caring embodies our campaign theme: ‘Give. Advocate. Volunteer.’, and shows the value of the United Way beyond fundraising,” said Bryne Lewis Allport, the county United Way’s Campaign Director. “It demonstrates our role as a community facilitator.”
The United Way, which raises and distributes money to local non-profit agencies and organizations that demonstrate a specific need and a purpose for the dollars, has set its 2009 campaign goal at $465,000. The organization will collecting money, mainly through individual efforts at area banks, businesses and corporations, until Dec. 31.
The number of volunteers for the Day of Caring, started in 2007, has nearly doubled in two years. This year, 35 were students from Colgate University, the largest group to participate.
“We’re here getting field experience – dealing with people and helping out in the community,” said Gabe Rosen, a Colgate sophomore from San Antonio enrolled in the Benton Scholar Program. “The class of 2012 is the first to participate in the Benton Scholar Program. We’re trying to grow as a group ands help out where we can.”
According to Rosen and fellow Colgate sophomores Erin Nash, Syracuse, and Josh Smeltzer, Portland, Oregon, the Benton Scholar Program aims to help students gain a global perspective on service and non-profit organizations.
The Day of Caring not only brings people together to help, said English, it brings them together as a team.
“It’s amazing what can be done,” said English, who is the director of Human Resources at Chenango Memorial Hospital. “When you can get together as a group, you can make a huge difference.”
English volunteered as part of a group representing CMH. Her daughter, Shannon Curley, volunteered so she could be more like her mom.
“My mom always does good things,” said Curley, a sophomore at Norwich High School. “I thought it would be nice to follow her lead.”
The Norwich Varsity Cheerleading squad also participated, and performed a special cheer they developed specifically for the event.
“We wanted to help support the United Way and the community,” said Crystal Morse, a sophomore cheerleader at Norwich High School. “As cheerleaders we support the football team. We wanted to expand our role.”
The Chenango United Way is projecting that area non-profits and community programs will request approximately $900,000 in 2010.
According to Monaco and Allport, $.79 of every dollar donated to Chenango United Way goes to a local agency.
For more information about the Chenango United Way or the 2009 campaign, call 334-8815 or visit www.chenangouw.org.
The Chenango United Way’s 3rd Annual “Day of Caring” matched area volunteers, many representing local businesses, organizations and schools, to 30 projects across Chenango County. For four hours volunteers scraped, painted and landscaped the different sites, which included museums, churches and parks.
“It was kind of neat to be assigned to a community that I’m not necessarily a part of,” said Anne English, Norwich, who spent four hours sprucing up Cook Park in Greene.
The event officially kicked off Chenango United Way’s 2009 funding campaign.
“The Day of Caring embodies our campaign theme: ‘Give. Advocate. Volunteer.’, and shows the value of the United Way beyond fundraising,” said Bryne Lewis Allport, the county United Way’s Campaign Director. “It demonstrates our role as a community facilitator.”
The United Way, which raises and distributes money to local non-profit agencies and organizations that demonstrate a specific need and a purpose for the dollars, has set its 2009 campaign goal at $465,000. The organization will collecting money, mainly through individual efforts at area banks, businesses and corporations, until Dec. 31.
The number of volunteers for the Day of Caring, started in 2007, has nearly doubled in two years. This year, 35 were students from Colgate University, the largest group to participate.
“We’re here getting field experience – dealing with people and helping out in the community,” said Gabe Rosen, a Colgate sophomore from San Antonio enrolled in the Benton Scholar Program. “The class of 2012 is the first to participate in the Benton Scholar Program. We’re trying to grow as a group ands help out where we can.”
According to Rosen and fellow Colgate sophomores Erin Nash, Syracuse, and Josh Smeltzer, Portland, Oregon, the Benton Scholar Program aims to help students gain a global perspective on service and non-profit organizations.
The Day of Caring not only brings people together to help, said English, it brings them together as a team.
“It’s amazing what can be done,” said English, who is the director of Human Resources at Chenango Memorial Hospital. “When you can get together as a group, you can make a huge difference.”
English volunteered as part of a group representing CMH. Her daughter, Shannon Curley, volunteered so she could be more like her mom.
“My mom always does good things,” said Curley, a sophomore at Norwich High School. “I thought it would be nice to follow her lead.”
The Norwich Varsity Cheerleading squad also participated, and performed a special cheer they developed specifically for the event.
“We wanted to help support the United Way and the community,” said Crystal Morse, a sophomore cheerleader at Norwich High School. “As cheerleaders we support the football team. We wanted to expand our role.”
The Chenango United Way is projecting that area non-profits and community programs will request approximately $900,000 in 2010.
According to Monaco and Allport, $.79 of every dollar donated to Chenango United Way goes to a local agency.
For more information about the Chenango United Way or the 2009 campaign, call 334-8815 or visit www.chenangouw.org.
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