By: Daniel Herda, Peru Tribune
Second year in a row meeting fundraising expectations
United Way exceeds its campaign goal two years in a row raising $200,312, which is 102.7 percent of their estimated $195,000 for the 2014 year, according to United Way Executive Director Debi Wallick.
“We tried to have a more realistic goal than we had in the last three years that way we could be successful,” Wallick said.
The United Way raised $201,827 of its $190,000 goal in 2013, according to Wallick.
“We thought we would raise the goal for 2014 by $5, 000,” Wallick said.
Wallick said the $200,312 raised is donated from many different sources. “Employees, corporations, people who are retired, really anyone in Miami County are people who we solicit.”
The funds raised by the campaign will be used to benefit United Way’s agencies, which are The Salvation Army, Boy Scouts, the Dental Clinic, Wabash-Miami Home Health Care Hospice, The Miami County YMCA, The YMCA Transportation, Area 5 Health Families, American Red Cross, Family Services Association, Domestic Violence Shelter and Miami County Child Abuse.
“There are criteria each agency has to meet,” Wallick said. “Each year it depends what the agency is asking for and how much the agency has done throughout the year and how many people they serve in their outcomes,” Wallick said.
Each agency has to provide outcomes on what programs they service, which is part of the allocation process, according to Wallick.
“We have a committee of about 25 members that looks at the agencies and sees what they are doing with the money,” Wallick said. “We want to make sure that those agencies fit our initiatives, which are education, income and health.”
The financials of each agency are evaluated every quarter, according to Wallick.
“We overlook the quarters to make sure they are only serving Miami County,” Wallick said. “Also, that the agencies are serving exactly who they said they were going to serve in their application process.
Each agency receives their allocation checks once a quarter four times a year, Wallick said.
“We like to make sure we monitor what the money is being used for,” Wallick said.
Wallick said the The Miami County United Way has been in existence since 1957.
“We have had this campaign since we have been in operation,” Wallick said.
Stanley Hall, United Way campaign chairman and director of finances and operations for Peru Community Schools, said it is very exciting being a part of the United Way campaign.
“It is very gratifying that everybody works together and cares deeply about this community and this county,” Hall said. “I am very honored to serve as the campaign chairman.”
United Way Campaign Co-Chairman David Noonan, who recently retired from Maconaquah School Corporation, helped determine a realistic campaign goal and came up with the slogan, according the a United Way press release.
“I would like to personally thank all volunteers who helped solicit this year’s campaign packets,” Noonan said in the release.
Wallick said it is a life changing experience to be a part of the United Way.
“To help people, whether it is through a food drive we have or funding agencies, is really rewarding,” Wallick said.