| 1,205 children under six years of age improved school readiness skills. |
| 21,693 seniors and people with disabilities received services that improved the quality of their lives. |
| 28,666 individuals and families in financial crisis received the education needed to increase their financial stability. |
"Be the change you want to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi
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United Way Launches Road to Recovery
Dayton, OH, Tuesday, January 13, 2009
- United Way of the Greater Dayton Area announced today that the 2008
United Way campaign, which runs through the end of February, has raised
$8 million to date towards the $12 million goal. An additional
$1.5 million is expected from organizations that typically support
United Way but have not yet run their campaigns. Unless new and
increased gifts are received in the coming weeks, United Way officials
anticipate the campaign will be short of goal by as much as $2.5
million.
Noting
that the economy has worsened since the goal was announced in August,
2008 Campaign Chair Robert M. Curry of Thompson Hine said, "The goal
was set knowing that it would be extremely challenging, but it was the
right thing to do with the needs in our community growing."
Curry shared findings from a survey
of United Way's partner agencies conducted in December that demonstrate
the heavy toll the poor economy is taking on the local nonprofit
network.
- Nine out of ten United Way agencies (91%) have
experienced an increase in demand for services this year, with
two-thirds (60%) experiencing a significant increase.
- At the
same time, seven out of ten (69%) are experiencing a decline in revenue
this year. On average, their income is down 17%, but some have
experienced losses up to one-fourth and even one-half of their
operating budgets.
To close the anticipated gap in the
campaign and try to maintain current funding levels for the United Way
agencies, United Way launched a special effort called the Road to
Recovery to encourage new and increased gifts to the campaign.
"We
calling the effort the Road to Recovery campaign because we know that
sustaining the United Way network of services during these tough times
will help the community rebound," Curry said.
Curry
explained that the Road to Recovery plan calls for the largely
unprecedented action of asking current contributors to give a little
more. "Most importantly, however, United Way needs new donors,"
he said.
United Way is trying to reach out at the grassroots
level and make it easy to give. To help: Give online at
www.LiveUnitedDayton.org or call United Way's HelpLink by dialing 2-1-1
(or 937/225-3001) to give by phone. Collection points are also
being set up at retail and banking locations throughout Montgomery,
Greene and Preble Counties.
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