With last week’s announcement of a $400,000 gap to the UW goal of $4,500,000, the community continues to rally to help fulfill the needs of our Midland County neighbors. This week, United Way is reporting total donations of $4,451,320, achieving 99% of goal. Final campaign results will be shared at the Chamber Connection hosted by the Midland Country Club on November 16.
“Our community is blessed to have very giving people and we are counting on this generosity to get us to goal, shared this year’s Campaign Chair, Rich Wells. Midland County has a surprisingly large number of families, 32% of our total population, who either live in poverty or are one inconvenience away from living in poverty. To them the services provided by the agencies supported by United Way represent a chance for a hand up in life. This is important. United Way is not a hand out; it is a hand up. United Way truly is that tide that lifts all boats.”
We have seen a whirlwind of campaign activity this past week. Many local companies and organizations are reporting great results.
The Dow Chemical Company and Dow Corning Corporation combined their efforts this year to exceed a goal of $1.7m. Their last push efforts included United Way’s Driving Impact car lease raffle sponsored by Dow with the generous support of Garber. They reported many department with 100% participation, a 50% increase in donations from their annual auction and 11 Impact Tours offered to their employees for a first-hand glimpse of the impact of their donations.
MidMichigan Health recently wrapped up their campaign, with an incredible 8% increase, reporting exceeding their goal of $260,000 with $262,525 pledged. They saw great success with Jeans Day, United Way T-shirt sales and their annual basket auction, with donations to these activities totaling $33,448. Their MidMichigan Health subsidiary Presidents and Diane Postler-Slattery agreed to a Lip Sync Competition if they achieved their goal. This incentive was a great motivator to the employees.
Consumers Energy raised over $800 in special events for United Way. They held their first ever chili cook off, sold CE logo wear, conducted a bake sale, and held a drawing for a one-week use of their Chevy Volt company car. They also offered a pizza party for the entire site if they had 50% or more of their employees turn in their pledge cards and they saw a 58% return rate.
United Way and their partner agencies impact the lives of those in need each and every day. In addition, they ran an incredible campaign with Family and Children’s Services and 1016 Recovery Network leading the way, each with increased giving of 40% over last year. They also conducted the inaugural Agency Games, creating a fun and competitive atmosphere, with Midland Area Homes taking first place.
The Great Lakes Loons had 100% participation this year, boasting a 50% increase in their overall giving.
In addition to running great employee campaigns, our friends at the City of Midland and Midland County hosted their annual Change War. Congratulations to the County for winning for the second year in a row! Overall coin collections from both organizations resulted in $561 for United Way.
Members First Credit Union raised an impressive $14,815 in support of United Way and generously donated their services to counting all of the change collected throughout the entire campaign.
“With each campaign, I continue to see just how incredibly generous our community is. They come together to support the needs of our neighbors through the work of United Way. We are proud to have the second highest per capita giving for the entire United States. It is this level of giving that enables us to impact so many lives throughout the entire year. I am humbled and inspired to see such support.” shared Ann Fillmore.
If you want to learn how you can be a part of the change, contact United Way at 631-3670 or online at www.liveunitedmidland.org.
