NORWICH – With the Chenango County United Way’s annual fundraising campaign well underway – and sights set on a higher monetary goal this year than ever before – the organization is reaching out to the community for help during the toughest weeks of the three-month long campaign.
“We are in an urgent situation,” said Chenango United Way Director Elizabeth Monaco. “Right now, we have reached about 60 percent of our campaign goal. Typically, by this time of year, we are further along.”
With less than six weeks to go before the end of the campaign season, the United Way is quickly approaching the home stretch. The organization has collected more than $263,000 to date; but that’s still alarmingly distant from its $456,000 goal ($12,000 more than the goal reached in 2012). And with more human service agencies all over the county requesting additional United Way funding this year, Monaco said the greatest challenges are yet to come.
“So many organizations are being cut from state and federal resources so they are relying on a strong campaign season. Some of them are in the risk of cutting programs,” she added
For small organizations like the Oxford Youth Center, philanthropic support is critical in keeping the doors open. So a troubling campaign season for the United Way spells bad news, explained program director BJ Ross.
The Oxford Youth Center serves as an after school mentor program to approximately 35 elementary and middle school students in the Oxford area. Without assistance to ease the program’s financial burden, it wouldn’t sustain.
“United Way funding allows us to have myself, an assistant and three high school students work here to assist young kids in tutoring ... Without that funding, we wouldn’t exist,” Ross said, alluding that despite small fundraisers throughout the year, the United Way provides a bulk of the program’s funding.
In early 2013, the Oxford Youth Center was alloted more than $20,000 from the United Way to pay employee salaries and insurance costs. Hopes are to receive the same amount this year, Ross said. “We have some really supportive parents who donate materials but times are tight and we can’t rely on donations alone. They just aren’t there anymore.”
Although the loss of United Way wouldn’t deter volunteers at The Impact Project, a charitable home repair agency based in Greene, additional funding helps with the purchase of building materials and salaries for agency administrators, said Jim Willard, coordinator for The Impact Project.
This year, United Way funding helped nearly 50 volunteers for The Impact Project complete home repairs for five qualifying Chenango County homeowners, the most recent being a handicap accessible ramp for one resident. The organization plans to complete three additional projects before the end of the year.
While funding is important, Willard said, it’s the connection The Impact Project has with the United Way that makes the it thrive.
“The money we get from the United Way is an intricate part of what we do, but there’s much more to our partnership,” Willard said. “It’s two organizations coming together to provide networking resources, monetary benefit and knowledge to benefit the people of the community.”
Terra Carnrike-Granata, co-chair of the 2013 United Way campaign, also stressed the importance and the advantage of giving to the United Way. “The nicest thing about donating to United Way is that you’re giving to so many organizations,” she said. “One in four people are somehow touched by the United Way ... Money gets tight. When you give to the United Way, you donate to so many people and so many organization at the same time.”