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The United Way of Central Kentucky celebrated the kickoff of its annual fundraising campaign at the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce’s September luncheon, with United Way President and CEO Christa Shouse delivering the keynotes address and organizations that benefit from United Way support set up at the Pritchard Community Center.
Shouse said the annual campaign is about expanding resources.
“The goal, certainly, is as always to raise more money because there are so many needs out there that we don’t even get to scratch the surface of because the need is that great, but I really want to increase awareness of our presence in the community, what that means, and have more people join up with us, whether they’re giving money or they’re volunteering their time, their expertise, we need all of that,” Shouse said.
Shouse said the organization knows the community is struggling, and while that puts a strain on fundraising it makes community support even more important.
“Through our services and partnering agencies, we’ve seen a 48 percent increase in needs over the year of funding before that, and we’re also seeing fundraising go down, and I think it’s just indicative of the climate we’re in right now,” Shouse said. “People are struggling and we see that, and so we’re here to help make a difference.”
The United Way says services from organizations that rely on United Way support benefited more than 60,000 residents across five counties last year. Shouse said the money raised in the campaign has a direct impact.
“One of the best things that we can boast is that it stays here,” Shouse said. “People want to know where their money goes and I’m here to tell you it stays here, and we’re very open and transparent about what we do with those dollars.”
Visit www.unitedwayck.org or contact the United Way of Central Kentucky to learn more.
The American Red Cross says the need for blood remains dire, so if you are looking to help patients in need and take part in a fun competition, Quicksie and The Wolf have an event you might be interested in.
“It’s the Quicksie Versus The Wolf friendly competition to get people to come in and donate blood,” said American Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie. “We will be at the Pritchard Community Center, and we’re there from 12 to 5 p.m. on September 25, and we encourage everybody in the community to come out and support the drive and help the American Red Cross during this challenging time.”
That’s American Red Cross Account Manager Tammy Ritchie. Participants will be asked during check in which station they wish to support. Ritchie says if you have never given blood before, donating is a safe and simple process.
“You come in, we do a medical history on all donors, always making sure that the person donating is safe to donate,” Ritchie said. “We do their temperature, pulse, blood pressure, make sure their iron count is high enough. The actual donation part of the blood drive takes anywhere from like five to ten minutes, but during this timeframe you have helped three different patients.”
You can find information and sign up for the Quicksie Versus Wolf Blood Drive at www.redcrossblood.org, by downloading the Red Cross Blood Donor app, or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.