United Way of Midland County launched its community campaign during the Great Lakes Loons playoff game on September 5th. 2,494 fans were on hand to cheer on the Loons while creating excitement for the upcoming campaign.
“We’re excited to partner with United Way for our first Midwest League playoff game this season,” Loons President & General Manager Brad Tammen said. “We’re honored to donate $1 from each lawn ticket purchased to support the work of United Way.”
Jon Lynch, President of Three Rivers Corporation, was announced as the 2019 Campaign Chair. Jon is a beloved community leader who is known for posing a thought-provoking question: “Are you a citizen of this community or do you just live here?” Known for his inspiring example of citizenship, he is committed to raising awareness and support of community needs and extends an invitation to everyone to join in.
“My wife Tina and I have been involved in supporting United Way over the years, and the ‘heart-strings’ stories you encounter are common and very real,” shared Lynch. “The most impactful thing to me has been the realization that we don’t necessarily see or recognize the people and families that depend on these programs for care and assistance, despite the fact that we’re shoulder to shoulder with them on any given day. The needs are not necessarily obvious, but they are very real.”
The United Way board of directors recently approved a campaign goal of $4.5 million. This was based on numerous stakeholder conversations and looking at giving trends across our community.
“This is certainly a season of change, but also one with incredible opportunities,” stated Holly Miller, Executive Director at United Way of Midland County. “Our goal respects the changes taking place while also shining a light on the increasing needs. We are blessed by renewed and continued support from companies, individuals, foundations and our nonprofit community. This is going to be an important campaign and success lies in all of us working together.”
Many organizations will officially kick-off their campaigns next week, but some are already reporting progress. A few organizations conducted early pacesetter campaigns to get the momentum started, including Fisher Companies, Dow, MidMichigan Health and many local retirees.
“We are off to a strong start, reporting early pledges of $329,179,” shared Miller. “This represents an impressive 7% of our $4.5 million goal.”
United Way brings everyone together to improve lives by amplifying individual passion to take on our toughest challenges together. They don’t focus on a single issue because change is bigger than one organization or program. They partner with nonprofits and invest in programs that show measurable outcomes—every year.
The 2019 United Way campaign will continue until November 1st and everyone is invited to make a difference. For more information about how you can help improve lives in our community, visit unitedwaymidland.org.
