An array of pledges and contributions from individual donors and companies big and small are being credited with helping the United Way of Logan County break the $1 million barrier for a second year in a row.
United Way officials called it a “December to remember” as generous year-end donations and special fundraisers including a new online auction helped rally the cause.
“Unbelievable!” said United Way Campaign Chair Alison Marker. “We seemed to be holding steady right around the $980,000 mark as of the last week of December, so I didn’t think we were going to hit our goal. And then we had some big surprises come in that pushed us over. Logan County, you made this happen.”
“Unlike recent years, we were playing from behind all campaign,” said Dave Bezusko, United Way’s executive director. “Midway through the fall, projections indicated we would likely come up as much as $70,000 short. But so many of our mid-sized workplaces saw incredible and unexepected increases.”
Bezusko said 20 workplaces exceeded the $10,000 mark this year, showing the growing diversity and support in workplaces throughout the county. Individual giving not related to workplace giving exceeded $52,000, the highest total ever.
In addition, a new online auction in December and built with in-kind product and service donations from local businesses, cleared $35,000.
“Every number helps,” Marker said. “We received large contributions from several local companies, but it was also the smaller contributions, the individual donors and the money that was raised from the online auction that got us to our goal.”
Campaign totals have increased eight straight years from 2012 to 2019.
Fifty-two programs of 31 Funded Agencies will be supported in 2020 by United Way allocations from this year’s campaign.
Additional one-time grants will be awarded throughout the year to organizations through the Community Impact and Youth Allocations funds.
Logan County remains the smallest community in Ohio to achieve a $1 million United Way campaign, and it’s now happened two years in a row.